Derry Walls wouldbenefit from EU title

THE Derry Walls would benefit from European Heritage status despite London’s Department of Culture dismissing the proposed designation as a potential duplication of the World Heritage List.

Environment Minister Alex Attwood disagrees with his counterparts in England and says he thinks the European Heritage Label could highlight important parts of our heritage.

He commented: “The Walls of Derry/Londonderry are a good example of this. Their bid to the United Kingdom Tentative list was unsuccessful in March 2011 partly because European walled cities are represented on the International list.

“That said, I have again been considering how to take this idea forward - namely, how to potentially get NI heritage sites listed as World Heritage sites.”

The Derry Walls are perhaps unique in having failed to be put forward for World Heritage Status despite applications for inclusion on national lists in two jurisdictions - the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

In 2010 a bid for world heritage status for Derry’s Walls was scrapped by the Dublin Government.

The Irish Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government scratched a bid to include a number of Irish Walled towns - including Londonderry and Kilkenny - from a list of sites to be put forward for UNESCO World Heritage status.

An expert advisory group appointed by the southern DoE was told there was “insufficient evidence to demonstrate a theme, which might have helped the nomination make the list.

Now Mr Attwood has stated that an alternative European label could work for Londonderry, although he intends continuing to campaign for World Heritage status for the Derry Walls.

He is at variance with the Department of Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS), which coincidentally invented the UK City of Culture, but decided in 2009 not to participate in a proposed European heritage scheme.

DCMS said: “If we were to participate in the scheme we would need clarity on a number of issues including the costs and responsibilities of involvement; how duplication with the World Heritage List will be avoided; and the extent to which the process for nomination will be open, accountable and inclusive.”

It has also stated that the “proposed designations do not offer a viable alternative to inscription on the World Heritage List.”

But Mr Attwood stated: “That is the current position of the UK Government which has the final say on such matters in the EU. “Clearly, it is not one I share or the Department of the Environment (DoE) argued for. I therefore agree with the view expressed by my predecessor, however, that the European Heritage Label does have the potential to highlight important parts of our heritage.”

Londonderry’s bid through the UK tentative list was unsuccessful in March 2011.

Its potential bid through Dublin was abandoned in 2010.

A range of beauty spots were scrapped from the tentative list of sites to go forward in a bid to join the Giant’s Causeway, Brú na Bóinne and Skellig Micheal as UNESCO heritage sites.

A tentative list of seven sites selected by Dublin to compete for the accolade included: The Burren; Céide Fields and NW Mayo Boglands, The Monastic City of Clonmacnoise and its Cultural Landscape; The Historic City of Dublin; Early Medieval Monastic Site (Clonmacnoise, Durrow, Glendalough, Inis Cealtra, Kells and Monasterboice); The Royal Sites of Ireland (Cashel, Dún Ailinne, Hill of Uisneach, Rathcroghan Complex and Tara Complex); and Western Stone Forts.

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