New booklet celebrating 25 years of Heritage Officer work features Mayo project

A special Heritage Council publication featuring stories from heritage officers across Mayo, is being launched today to mark 25 years of the network.

The booklet, ‘Opening the door to Ireland’s heritage’ details one key heritage project from each local authority from the last three years which collectively, highlight the enormous contribution the Network has made to the preservation of our heritage over the last quarter of a century.

Martina Moloney, Chairperson of the Heritage Council, describes the role of the network- “Not only do they provide advice, guidance, and information on all aspects of heritage, but they also secure funding, undertake research, collect data, and develop and lead a multitude of highly impactful and engaging projects.”

The commemorative booklet includes the story of the Mayo Wetlands Survey, which sets out to map and record the county’s wetlands.

The aim of the story is to gather baseline information on the county’s wetland habitats, and raise awareness of the wetland resource.

This survey will contribute to the protection of the wetlands as habitats for wildlife, providing biodiversity, improving water quality, storing floodwaters, providing recreational opportunities, and acting as a vital store of carbon (thereby helping to mitigate against climate change).

Heritage Officer for Mayo County Council, Deirdre Cunningham calls the launch of the booklet “deeply satisfying” and says the influence of the network continues “shaping our approach to heritage conservation and protection.”

In a partnership between the Heritage Council and local authorities, the first heritage officers were appointed in 1999 in Kerry, Sligo and Galway, since then, the network has become synonymous with the protection and promotion of Ireland’s heritage and by 2021, every local authority in the country had appointed somebody to the role.

While highlighting the important work they do, the stories in the publication also offer a stark insight into what may have been lost were it not for the heritage officers. Cunningham continues by explaining that the stories “cover only a snapshot of recently completed projects from current heritage officers, so when we factor in the hundreds of past projects completed since 1999, it brings into the focus the enormous impact that the Local Authority Heritage Officer Programme has had.”

John Mulholland, Chair of the CCMA Rural Development, Community, Culture and Heritage (RCCH) Committee also attended the launch. He praised the council saying, “It is very difficult to keep such a diverse range of interested parties singing off the same hymn sheet and getting the job done.”

More information about the Heritage Officer Network is available here, and for the full publication, see here.