Lord Mayor welcomes annual conference fieldtrip to Navan Centre
In December 2022, the International Scientific Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management (ICAHM) will hold its annual meeting at the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin. As a specialist committee of the International Committee on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), ICAHM and its experts advise UNESCO the World Heritage Convention and its World Heritage Committee on cultural heritage sites nominated to the World Heritage List.
This year marks an important milestone for UNESCO as it marks the 50th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention which has been ratified by more states than any other UN convention. Despite growing international challenges, the remit of the convention remains more relevant than ever, to work together to promote peace through the protection of cultural and natural world heritage.
The conference coincides with the 2022 announcement of a new Irish UNESCO Tentative World Heritage list by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien T.D., and Minister of State with Responsibility for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan T.D..
This list is an inventory of natural and cultural heritage sites that may have potential to demonstrate Outstanding Universal Value and therefore considered suitable for nomination to the World Heritage List. It includes the Royal Sites of Ireland, a transnational serial site with six components from across the island. These are Dún Ailinne County Kildare; Hill of Uisneach, County Westmeath; Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary; Rathcroghan County Roscommon, Tara County Meath and Emain Macha/Navan Fort, County Armagh. As part of the conference, attendees will visit both Tara and Emain Macha/ Navan Fort.
Iain Greenway, Director of the Historic Environment Division at the Northern Ireland Department for Communities notes, ‘The Department for Communities are pleased to be supporting, through its Historic Environment Fund, the annual ICAHM conference in Dublin this year. We look forward to welcoming conference delegates to Navan Fort, a site in our care and one of immense importance.’
The conference is being organised with key partners including the Royal Irish Academy, ICOMOS Ireland, National Monuments Service of Ireland and the Historic Environment Division of Northern Ireland. Meeting over two days, the conference will discuss a range of themes of relevance to Irish heritage sites including world heritage policies and management, concepts of integrity and authenticity, and the increasing impacts of climate change at cultural heritage sites.
ICAHM President Dr John Peterson notes, ‘ICAHM are delighted to be hosting our annual conference in Ireland this year, and to be visiting two of the Royal Sites of Ireland on our conference fieldtrip. Part of the ICAHM remit is to encourage the nomination of appropriate archaeological sites to the UNESCO World Heritage List and we are excited to visit a site recently placed on the Irish tentative list. This will be a wonderful opportunity to engage with local stakeholders and explore two spectacular archaeological sites.’
Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Paul Greenfield commented, “I’m delighted to welcome ICAHM delegates from across the globe to our Borough. I am certain that the visit to the Navan Centre and Fort will prove enlightening and will further strengthen understanding of this significant archaeological site internationally as we continue on the journey with our Royal Site partners, towards achieving UNESCO World Heritage site status”.
