New €300,000 pilot funding scheme launched to safeguard World Heritage
- Published on: 26 June 2025
- Last updated on: 26 June 2025
Landowners may apply for funding through relevant local authorities
A pilot World Heritage Strategic Investment Fund with a total value of €300,000 is now open for applications. The funding provides capital investment for World Heritage and is available through relevant local authorities for the conservation, maintenance, protection and promotion of archaeological and built heritage within World Heritage Properties and Tentative List Sites in Ireland.
The scheme will be managed by the National Monuments Service at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, working closely with those Local Authorities who have active World Heritage Properties and Tentative List Sites within their remit.
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne, TD, remarked:
"I'm really pleased to share news about this pilot capital investment scheme for World Heritage in Ireland. It builds on our Government’s commitment to support new UNESCO sites and highlight Ireland’s heritage on the world stage.
“This scheme will help roll out our upcoming World Heritage Strategy, which is all about better protecting and managing our World Heritage sites, getting local communities more involved, and helping more people understand the value of World Heritage. Importantly for myself and Minister Christopher O’Sullivan, it’s a key step toward getting more Irish sites onto the World Heritage List."
The World Heritage Properties and Tentative List Sites eligible for this funding are:
- Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Property (excluding the State-maintained passage tomb complexes of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth) (Meath and Louth)
- Royal Sites of Ireland Tentative List Site
- Dún Ailinne, Kildare
- Hill of Uisneach, Westmeath
- Rock of Cashel, Tipperary
- Rathcroghan, Roscommon
- Tara, Meath
3. Passage Tomb Landscape of Sligo Tentative List Site Sligo
4. Transatlantic Cable Ensemble Tentative List Site (Valentia Island) Kerry
The Minister of State with responsibility for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O'Sullivan, TD, added:
“We are resolute in our dedication to preserving these invaluable Irish landmarks for the benefit of all. This is an investment in the protection, conservation and promotion of sites of immense international significance that will benefit both local communities and tourism having a positive impact on the heritage sector. It will help to protect our precious heritage against the impacts of extreme weather brought on increasingly by climate change in line with our work on climate change adaptation."
Funding will be provided to eligible monuments and buildings within the relevant World Heritage Properties and Tentative List Sites to improve the interpretation and presentation of structures, enhance accessibility, and enable the protection and conservation of structures in need of urgent support, including building resilience to withstand the effects of climate change.
Further Information
Further information can be found here . Queries about this pilot scheme can be sent to worldheritage@housing.gov.ie or to relevant local authority staff
Total funding available for projects under the pilot in 2025 will be €300,000.
The World Heritage Strategic Investment Fund has two Streams:
Stream A
Stream A will provide funding up to €25,000 to improve access infrastructure, interpretation projects and the presentation of structures (including virtually and/or online).
Stream B
Stream B will provide funding up to €100,000 for the protection and conservation of structures including essential repairs, conservation advice, the preparation of a Conservation Management Plan and detailed specifications of works.
Local Authorities may submit up to 3 applications per World Heritage Property or Tentative List Site.
The core aims of the pilot fund are to enhance, protect and conserve attributes of Outstanding Universal Value in World Heritage Properties and in World Heritage Tentative List Sites. Outstanding Universal Value means the natural or cultural significance of a site that is so exceptional that it deserves to be recognized as part of the humanity’s common heritage.
Eligible Projects
To be eligible to apply, structures must be:
· included in the Record of Monuments and Places (RMP) under the National Monuments Act 1930 (as amended); or
· identified in the Sites and Monuments Record; or
· included in the Record of Protected Structures (RPS) of each Local Authority; or
· eligible for or proposed for inclusion in the RPS but not yet formally approved for inclusion; or,
· within Architectural Conservation Areas
In addition, eligible structures will have to meet one or other of the two following qualifying conditions:
· they are included within the proposed boundaries of a site on the Tentative List as potential attributes of OUV;
· they are included within the boundaries of an Irish World Heritage Property as attributes of Outstanding Universal Value.
Structures in a proposed or actual buffer zone around a World Heritage Property or Tentative List Site that are considered as protecting or contributing to the Outstanding Universal Value are also eligible to apply.
Structures in the ownership/custodianship of the Minister or in the ownership/custodianship of the OPW are not included in the scheme.