Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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760. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will address a matter raised in correspondence (details supplied); the initiatives her Department can take to recognise the history and contribution of this industry in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54132/17]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Any active practitioners of this practice in County Kildare who are carrying on this tradition and wish for it to be recognised as part of our national cultural heritage may wish to consider submitting an Expression of Interest to my Department's National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. An open call is currently underway until 31 January 2018, and questions can be directed to

If it is desired rather to have the contribution of this industry recognised in a historical and cultural context, interested parties may consult their local Heritage Officer, who would be best placed to advise them on local initiatives and supports which may be available.

The Heritage Council, which my Department funds, also provides grants for the protection and preservation of the national heritage. It is primarily a matter for the Heritage Council to decide how its funding should be allocated across the range of research, education and conservation programmes it supports annually, having regard to competing priorities for limited resources.  Grant schemes are advertised by the Heritage Council on its website