This article is from page 14 of the 2012-04-24 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
The Burren will once again be in the hat when the management committee of the UNESCO World Heritage Site organisation meets in St Petersburg in the Russian Federation later this year.
It was confirmed yesterday that the Burren is one of a number of Irish locations that will go forward for possible inclusion as an official World Heritage Site. Should the Burren gain this prestigious status, it could result in thousands of extra tourists being attracted to holiday in North Clare each year.
The Burren was included on the so-called “tentative list” drawn up by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht’s Expert Advisory Group on World Heritage Sites. The Burren was included alongside a group application from the ‘Royal Sites’, which include Tara, Cashel, Dún Ailinne and Rathcroghan; the ‘Monastic sites’, which include Clonmacnoise, Durrow, Kells and Glendalough; and the Céide Fields in Mayo.
If the Burren succeeds in gaining UNESCO World Heritage status, it will becomes just Ireland’s fourth site after Brú na Bóinne, Skellig Michael and the Giant’s Causeway.
This is not the first time that the Burren has been close to gaining World Heritage status, having gone forward as one of Ireland’s final nominations in 2011 and 2010.
The Burren and Cliffs of Moher were granted Geopark Status earlier this year and it is thought that this might aid in the quest to be classified as a World Heritage Site.
The 36th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will take place in St Petersburg from June 24 to July 6. The committee, which is headed up by Russian diplomat Mitrofanova Eleonora, meets once a year to consider new applications for World Heritage Site status and to ensure that all current heritage sites are living up to their commitments under the programme.