Valentia island’s transatlantic cable ensemble and Iniscealtra or Holy Island in Co Clare are among six locations included in Ireland’s latest application for UNESCO world heritage status.
An expert advisory group appointed by Minister of State with Responsibility for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan has also recommended Co Sligo’s passage tomb landscape, the Burren upland cultural landscape in Co Clare, Glendalough valley in Co Wicklow and the royal sites of Ireland for inclusion.
The royal sites in counties Kildare, Westmeath, Tipperary, Roscommon, Meath, and Armagh include Dún Ailinne, Hill of Uisneach, Cashel, Rathcroghan complex, Tara complex, and Navan Fort.
World heritage properties are sites of cultural and/or natural heritage designated by UNESCO to be of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) to humanity.
Ireland has currently two properties on the UNESCO World Heritage List, Brú na Bóinne and Sceilg Mhichíl, both inscribed in the 1990s.
The first major step towards full world heritage inscription is the inclusion on a country’s tentative list, Mr Noonan’s department explained.
This list is an inventory of properties which have potential to demonstrate OUV and is considered suitable for nomination to the world heritage list.
UNESCO will not consider nominations unless a property has been included on the tentative list for at least one year prior to the submission of any nomination, and the nomination process often takes a number of years - including the preparation of a detailed dossier.
In line with UNESCO guidance to revise the tentative list every ten years, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage sought applications in January 2019 to a new list for Ireland.
All 31 local authorities were asked to make applications to the department for qualifying properties within their jurisdiction, including properties on the last tentative list of 2010.
Six valid applications were received by the June 2021 deadline, they were subjected to an extensive technical review by the expert advisory group, and its recommendations were submitted to the department.
The group has advised that all six applications have the potential to demonstrate the critically important OUV which is a pre-requisite for any world heritage consideration.
The group says that the “Trans-Atlantic Cable Ensemble: Hearts Content” transnational nomination with Canada for Valentia island in Co Kerry could be on the tentative list, “once the potential OUV has been further demonstrated through some additional work in relation to authenticity/integrity and stakeholder consultation and engagement”.
It makes similar comments in relation to the other five locations.
The department says it intends to submit a new tentative list to UNESCO in March 2022, and says “other properties may be added at a later stage”.
It also says it is developing a dedicated world heritage strategy for Ireland to “guide the inscription of additional properties to Ireland’s world heritage list over the next decade”.