SPREADING THE LOVE: SOME IRISH EXAMPLES OF GETTING MONUMENTS VALUED IN OTHER PEOPLE’S POLICIES
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 06/11/2020

For millennia, Irish agriculture has been based, for the most part, around grassland and cattle rearing. Even in more recent times, the country has been spared the ravages of war and upheaval, and the need to turn as much land as possible to food production at the expense of field monuments. As a result, many archaeological monuments survive in the Irish landscape. About 120,000 monuments are officially recorded and most of them are on farmland. This is recognised to some degree, by the incorporation of archaeological measures into GLAS, the agri-environment scheme introduced as part of the Rural Development Programme, and in Greening. The evolution, current state and future potential of these measures will be discussed. Archaeological heritage often features prominently in campaigns aimed at attracting tourists to Ireland. This is not always matched by the availability of good quality information that would enable visitors to find or understand that heritage during a stay in Ireland, or even to plan a trip around it. This presentation will discuss the degree to which the survival of archaeological monuments in the landscape is recognised as a special characteristic of the country and if so, whether or not, this translates in any meaningful way into policy.


Author(s): Carey, Hugh (National Monuments Service)