Dáil debates
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Adjournment Debate
Architectural Heritage.
8:00 pm
Chris Andrews (Dublin South East, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue. The Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government last week published Ireland's draft new tentative list of potential nominees to the world heritage list. I am delighted that "Dublin - A Georgian City and its Literary Tradition", was included on this draft list. Since I was elected in 2007, I have sought for Georgian Dublin to be nominated as a UNESCO world heritage site. This is a good news story and there is great credit due to the Minister, whose commitment to this proposal I welcome.
Georgian Dublin is of huge cultural significance to Ireland and deserves to be protected and promoted as an historic and beautiful part of our country's history. As has been highlighted in the draft list, the establishment of the wide streets commissioners, Europe's first official town planning authority, was visionary for its time and was later copied in other cities. Furthermore, 18th century Dublin witnessed one of its most exuberant bursts of architectural development with the proliferation of fine municipal buildings, grandiose squares and wide, elegant streets.
The period from 1714 to 1830 saw the development of the Irish Houses of Parliament, the Four Courts, King's Inns, City Hall, Leinster House, Dublin Castle, the Mansion House and Iveagh House among others. Fine architects such as James Gandon, who designed the White House in Washington D.C., designed the Custom House Building and the Four Courts and left an indelible mark on the character and style of Dublin's built environment. Likewise, the contribution of the city to world literature is far-reaching and exceptional.
Becoming a UNESCO world heritage site would confer international status on Georgian Dublin and would endow it with a level of international protection and preservation. Other cities with Georgian architecture that have received world heritage site status include Bath and Edinburgh. Ireland has only three UNESCO world heritage sites, namely, Newgrange, Skellig Michael and the Giant's Causeway.
This designation would be invaluable for Dublin. It would protect the cultural heritage of the city. It would help to raise architectural and historical awareness and would enhance Dublin's reputation as a tourist destination of world class standard, as has occurred in Edinburgh. I want to put on record my complete support for Georgian Dublin's elevation from the tentative list to nomination for inscription on the world heritage list. This will only take place after consultation with the relevant stakeholders and interested parties, and I believe that the plan is for this to take place through a partnership forum established for each proposed nomination. Can the Minister give more details of this forum for residents who are interested in making an observation on the list?
John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I thank Deputy Andrews for raising this important issue for the city of Dublin. I fully agree that Georgian Dublin is of great cultural significance to this city. It is internationally accepted that Dublin has made an extraordinary contribution to world literature. It was, and continues to be, a city where people write and is the setting for texts of international significance such as O'Casey's dramatic trilogy and Joyce's Ulysses.
Dublin has evolved over the years and is now a thriving multicultural city of social, cultural and economic activity. I am aware that Dublin is currently seeking designation as a UNESCO city of literature. Dublin City Council is considering the introduction of new policies within the development plan that include increasing public awareness of the heritage plan, promoting access to heritage sites, exploring UNESCO potential and the protection of Dublin's Georgian squares, particularly Mountjoy Square and Parnell Square. This is very welcome news.
As Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, I am responsible for world heritage policy matters under the convention for the protection of the world's cultural and natural heritage adopted in 1972 by UNESCO. The convention was ratified by Ireland in 1991. I have responsibility for the process of identification and nomination to the world heritage list of those properties in Ireland, which are considered to be of outstanding universal value and meet the UNESCO criteria for world heritage designation.
A tentative list is an inventory of those properties which a state party intends to consider for nomination to the world heritage list in the next five to ten years. Ireland's current tentative list dates back to 1992. UNESCO recommends that state parties to the world heritage convention resubmit tentative lists to UNESCO at least every ten years. Last October, I established an expert advisory group to carry out a review of the current tentative list and to identify those properties around the country which the group considered best meet the criteria required for inscription on the world heritage list.
The expert advisory group has considered properties on the current tentative list and other properties around the country, including Georgian Dublin, on the basis of detailed reports compiled by members of the group or by experts commissioned by the group. Members of the public and interested groups were also invited to submit potential properties for inclusion on the new tentative list. Thirty one such proposals were received and assessed by the expert advisory group.
The expert advisory group has now finalised a draft new tentative list which contains the details of the properties which the group considers are of outstanding universal value, meet the UNESCO world heritage inscription criteria in terms of integrity and authenticity and have the best potential for future inscription on the world heritage list.
I can confirm that "Dublin - A Georgian City and its Literary Tradition" is on the draft new tentative list of potential nominees to the world heritage list. This list was published in the daily newspapers and on my Department's website yesterday, inviting comments on the draft list. Following the receipt and assessment of comments and submissions received by the expert advisory group, the new tentative list will be submitted to me for my approval with a view to the forwarding of the list to UNESCO. I can confirm, in response to the specific question asked by the Deputy, that we are taking comments from the public. That was the purpose of the newspaper advertisements. If people log on to the Department's website, they will find an e-mail address they can use to transmit their comments on this matter. If the Deputy has any further questions, I will be happy to answer them.