The National Heritage Plan requires local authorities to prepare and implement Local Heritage Plans. The National Heritage Plan recognises that the need for the protection of our heritage must begin at the local level. Central to achieving this goal is the preparation and adoption of the County Donegal Heritage Plan. Donegal County Council recognises the importance of “placing heritage at the heart of public life”, as advocated in the National Heritage Plan.
The County Donegal Heritage Plan represents a strategic statement about what County Donegal wants to achieve in terms of heritage management and conservation over a five-year period and identifies a list of actions which will be taken to achieve the strategic aims and objectives. The County Donegal Heritage Plan is an opportunity to identify heritage issues and needs in the county and to address them locally, within a regional and national framework. The County Donegal Heritage Plan provides the basis for the identification, investigation, interpretation, promotion, preservation, conservation and enhancement of County Donegal's built, cultural and natural heritage, and sets out a strategy for the management of heritage resources and landscapes in a sustainable manner. The County Donegal Heritage Plan addresses priorities set out in the Strategic Plan for Cultural Services (2009-2014), Donegal County Council and the Heritage Council Strategic Plan (2012-2016) .
The aim of the County Donegal Heritage Plan is “to gather knowledge, raise awareness, encourage appreciation of the natural, built and cultural heritage of our county and to promote best practice in the management of our heritage for the enjoyment of present and future generations.” In order to achieve this aim, 79 actions have been identified under the following five broad objectives to:
- Raise awareness and promote appreciation of County Donegal’s built, cultural and natural heritage;
- Collect, publish and disseminate data and information about County Donegal’s heritage;
- Promote best practice in the management and care of our built, cultural and natural heritage;
- Develop interest and knowledge in County Donegal’s heritage through access, education and training; and
- Inform public policy and advocate the strategic and integrated management of heritage.
County Donegal Heritage Plan (Text Version)
Meet the County Donegal Heritage Forum
Nature's Calendar (Action 1.7.)
Heritage Towns of County Donegal (1.13. & 4.11.)
Audit of Historical Photographic Collections for County Donegal (Action 2.4.)
'Donegal's Farming Heritage' Booklet (Action 2.9.)
Pilot Placenames Project (Action 2.10.)
Donegal Heritage 'Life & Lore' Collection (Action 2.15.)
Pilot Ecological Study of Two Inhabited Donegal Islands (Action 2.26.)
Field Monument Advisor for County Donegal (Action 3.2.)
Programme of Traditional Building Skills' Seminars & Workshops (Action 3.4.)
Biodiversity Species List for County Donegal (Actions 3.8. & 4.12.)
'Heritage in Tidy Towns' Seminar (Action 3.10.)
Traditional Building Skills Field School on Gola Island (Action 4.2.)
National Launch of 'Traditional Buildings on Irish Farms' Booklet (Action 4.12.)
Landscape Conservation for Bats in County Donegal (Action 4.12.)
'Invisible Assets: Biodiversity, Health & the Environment' Seminar (Action 4.12.)