Heritage Business Journal

The Euro  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Heritage Council of Ireland, a statutory body established under the Heritage Act, 1995, has released a report on the Economic Value of Ireland’s Historic Environment conducted by Ecorys and Fitzpatrick Associates. As defined by the report, Ireland’s historic environment consists of two World Heritage Sites, Bru na Boinne in Co Meath and Skellig Michael off Co Kerry, more than 20 Historic National Properties, 38,000 protected structures and more than 120,000 monuments protected under the National Monuments Act. These resources were used as the basis for the economic analyses.

Some of the highlights are:

• The historic environment is a highly significant contributor to Ireland’s national economy, directly
  supporting almost 25,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs.
• Including indirect and induced effects, it is estimated that the historic environment sector supports
  approximately 40,000 FTE employment positions in Ireland.
• Within the context of Ireland’s economy, it is estimated that the historic environment’s contribution to the
  national economy is equivalent to one percent of total Irish Gross Value Added (GVA), and two percent of overall employment.
• Ireland’s built historic environment constitutes an invaluable educational resource, and at all stages of
  the lifelong learning spectrum. For example, not only are Ireland’s flagship heritage sites a major
  source of school educational visits, they are also a focus of academic research and conference
  activities.
• The role of Ireland’s historic environment in attracting private sector investment into Irish towns and
  cities, and its contribution to enhancing quality of life/livability in these localities.

There are more benefits as well that can be seen in the report.