Dr. Joseph Gallagher:

To address Deputy Heydon's question, I think tremendous potential exists at local level and increasing the capacity of the local authority to work with and support those communities, and give them advice and direction, is very important. Taking the conservation of traditional buildings as an example, the GLAS scheme was mentioned, exemplified through the traditional farm buildings grant scheme the Heritage Council operates. That allows for increased capacity at local level to conserve a very important aspect of our built heritage. It also develops traditional building skills. Back in 2009, there was an all-Ireland report on traditional building skills which identified a need for training and capacity building in that area and, ten years on, there is still that need for investment in the development of those skills. That development of skills provides employment opportunities. We see it in Donegal, with our traditional building stock there and the work that is being done. There is employment for thatchers and traditional craftsmen like those who build and repair sash windows.

It is all about enhancing the local communities in which people live. They want to retain that aspect of their heritage because they are rightly proud of that and want to promote it. Visitors to our island want to see those aspects of our built heritage. Those types of programmes, with all those different types of aspects at local level, for locals and visitors to the area, for the skills sector and employment, are all very positive.

One thing we have done in Donegal every couple of years is to run vernacular architecture seminars for the owners or occupiers of these traditional buildings, to encourage them to conserve them. We are oversubscribed every time we run it. Between 120 and 140 people attend on a Saturday morning to hear different experts talking about how to conserve their buildings, make them liveable, bring them back into use and then, in the afternoon, we have traditional craftsmen showing the practice of traditional skills. These are skills that are very much accessible to the local community. There is not necessarily a need for experts, but rather just a bit of direction and some of that work can be done by the owners or occupiers themselves. As we all know, the best way to conserve a building is to keep it in use.