‘Heritage’ restored after departmental rethink
HERITAGE has been going from strength to strength in recent years and there were clearly some founded concerns in the heritage world recently when it had appeared that ‘ heritage’ had been omitted from the Department Title of the Minister’s portfolio, where until recently the Department, formerly of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, had become the Department of Regional Affairs, Rural Affairs, Arts and the Gaeltacht.
In a press release this past week, the Department title has now been reconfigured. “Minister Heather Humphreys has confirmed that the name of her newly reconfigured Department has been approved by Government as the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.
The new name reflects the broader remit of the reconfigured Department, which retains all of the responsibilities of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, with additional responsibility for a wide range of programmes relating to rural and regional affairs and development” (Official Press Release).
This continuation of heritage as a named component of the Department comes as welcome news and the additional focus on regional and rural affairs, particularly where heritage may be concerned, can only be seen as a positive step.
Heritage has its urban and rural aspects and has its connectivity across local, regional and national levels.
The term heritage itself, which can essentially be translated as ‘people and place’, has its legislative basis in the Heritage Act of 1995, the Act that also led to the establishment of the Heritage Council. In the 1995 Act, heritage is defined as constituting any and all of the following: ‘monuments, archaeological objects, heritage objects, architectural heritage, flora, fauna, wildlife habitats, landscapes, seascapes, wrecks, geology, heritage gardens and parks and inland waterways’. Many would add further aspects here, particularly regarding the Irish language, folklore and of course oral heritage.
Speaking of oral heritage, Cork will be very much at the fore of things come October, when the Annual Irish Oral History Network Conference takes place in U.C.C. on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th October 2016. The network undertakes extensive work on ensuring that oral history is at the fore of heritage and this conference will be of interest to many, with the 2016 theme being ‘People and Place - Oral History in Ireland’.
The ‘objective is to bring together individual oral history collectors, local community groups, curators, archivists, academics and policy practitioners to encourage lively discussion across the broad spectrum of oral history’. Over the two days there will be free presentations, workshops and projects and there will be a featured panel discussion on ‘valuing intangible cultural heritage in Ireland’ as well as a number of keynote speakers. While the event is free, attendees must register at www.oralhistorynetworkireland.ie prior to the closing date of 27th September 2016.
Another big national conference taking place in Cork later this year is the Virtual Heritage Network National Conference, also in U.C.C. and running from December 8th to 10th 2016. The conference aims to to bring together people who work for the support, improvement and promotion of virtual heritage in Ireland and beyond, across the academic, business, education, cultural heritage, policy, and tourism sectors. It welcomes people from a diverse range of backgrounds including archaeology, cultural studies, social sciences, arts, conservation, education, engineering, computer science, business, and industry. For further information visit http://www. vhnireland.org.
Also on the horizon in the coming months are some further events/conferences of great import. From the International O’ Leary and O’ Keeffe Clan Gatherings in September (Inchigeelagh and Dromtarriffe, both from September 9th to 11th, respectively) and a large symposium on William Penn at the end of September in U.C.C., the end of September will undoubtedly be a busy time from a heritage perspective, particularly with the 8th Celebrating Cork Past Exhibition to take place (Friday 30th September). Any and all historical and heritage societies within the County are invited to attend on the day, email richardtcooke@yahoo.com for more information.
In respect of the coming days there are a few heritage events of note. On Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th July in Glandore, the annual Classic Boat Summer School will take place. The weekend will be officially opened by Minister for the Marine, Michael Creed, and activities over the weekend will include a series of illustrated lectures, presentations, talks and discussions, all dedicated to Cork’s maritime tradition, environment, community and boats.
On Sunday 17th in Doneraile, directly in front of the most historic setting of Doneraile Court/House, there will be an afternoon of orchestral music. The event, which will also be attended by a number of historical characters, is free of charge and open to all.
Also on Sunday 17th, and continuing until the follow Friday, will be the 21st Daniel Corkery Summer School in Inchigeelagh. The theme for this year’s School is “Women in Revolution”, a most fitting angle given the centenary year that is in it.
Next week’s we’ll look ahead to many further heritage events on the horizon, including a number included in the Cork County’s 2016 Centenary Programme of Events.