In the run-up to the election, the IAI reached out to the political parties that have representation at a national level with a set of questions seeking to establish their policies or stances on heritage-related topics. Four parties responded: Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil, The Green Party and People Before Profit. We must acknowledge that we were late in getting the questions out due to the sudden call for election, so we would like to thank the four parties who did send responses. We intend to be prepared long in advance of the next election.
The questions and responses are outlined below:
Does your party have a spokesperson for cultural heritage? If so, who is it?
Sinn Féin (Response from Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD)
Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD is responsible for cultural heritage policy as spokesperson for Gaeilge, Gaeltacht, Arts, Culture, Tourism and Media, and works closely with Eoin Ó Broin who leads as spokesperson for the Housing, Local Government and Heritage Department as a whole.
Fianna Fáil (response from Darragh O’Brien TD)
My Colleague Niamh Smyth is the current Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Arts and Culture and Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
Green Party (Response from Joe Keogh Administrative Officer)
Yes. Senator Mal O’Hara is Green Party Spokesperson for Arts and Culture. Catherine Martin has also served as Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media of Ireland for the duration of the Government’s term in office.
Minister Martin secured a record funding totalling €379.7 million for the Arts and Culture sectors in Budget 2025, with funding of €3.8 million, including pay, to the National Cultural Institutions to support the sustained protection and presentation of our national collections.
People before Profit (Response from Nicole McCarthy, Office of Paul murphy TD)
I am sorry to say that we do not have a spokesperson for cultural heritage, perhaps this is something we can look into in the new Dáil term.
Does your party have a policy on cultural heritage? If so, please include a link or other information on same.
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin has a comprehensive section on Cultural Heritage in our general election manifesto, which I am including here [outlined below], and we have also previously launched our specific policy on safeguarding and utilising our cultural heritage on Moore Street and the surrounding area, which you can read online here.
Sinn Féin believes that the historic, archaeological, and cultural heritage of Ireland, as the product of the labour, craftsmanship and talent of their forebearers, belongs equally to all the people of the Irish nation. This heritage must be protected for the people as the inheritance to which future generations are entitled as a right.
The heritage of Ireland, which we hold in trust for future generations, requires checks and balances, and a government that takes its protection seriously.
Sinn Féin tabled amendments to address concerns raised with the Historic and Archaeological Heritage Act 2023, and while Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan accepted our arguments on a number of matters – the need to protect battlefields, the amenity value of a monument’s setting, linguistic heritage, and archaeological objects associated with historic periods or subjects rather than events and individuals alone, and to give elected councillors a greater role in decisions affecting local monuments – many substantial issues remain unresolved.
From outcry over the restriction of public access to Castletown House in Co. Kildare, to the closure of one of the largest tombs at Loughcrew Cairn in Co. Meath since 2018, communities are calling for public access to their heritage to be recognised and respected, and this principle should apply also to access to historic and genealogical records, whether in person or through digital means. When Sinn Féin attempted to enshrine this principle in the 2023 Act, the Green Party Minister, supported by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, blocked the move.
This denial of public access to heritage is compounded by the wanton destruction of our heritage that has been permitted under successive governments, which had already seen a third of Ireland’s ancient ringforts destroyed by the year 2001. From the destruction of Woodquay and Frascati House in the 1970s through to the dead-of-night demolition of the O’Rahilly’s home at 40 Herbert Park as recently as 2020 and the ongoing threat to the 1916 battle-site at Moore Street, it is clear that the preservation of our rich history requires a new government willing to put the people’s inheritance above the private profit of developers.
One aspect not addressed by the act is the need for repatriation of historic, archaeological and cultural heritage which was taken from Ireland, or has come to Ireland, as a result of theft, plunder, deception, colonial practices, or other unethical methods, to its rightful owners, whether it’s the Inishkeel Bell Shrine in the British Museum or the Xhosa Chief Maqoma’s stick in our own National Museum. As anti-imperialists, we stand for decolonisation at home and in solidarity with other victims of colonialism seeking restitution overseas.
As Irish Republicans, Sinn Féin is committed to recognising the contribution made by those who gave their lives and liberty to pursue the freedom of the Irish nation and raising awareness and understanding of the ideals of our revolutionary period.
Sinn Féin priorities for cultural heritage include:
- Expanding the OPW power to initiate a compulsory purchase of lands and buildings to cover heritage at risk and the defence of public access to sites.
- Amending heritage legislation to recognise the principle that the people have a right to appreciate, view and learn from their heritage, including built, archaeological, cultural and genealogical heritage, both physically and through digital means, and exploring ways to vindicate that right.
- Vindicating and expanding, where possible, rights of way to heritage monuments.
- Declaring the Moore Street terrace, its yards and laneways, a National Monument and developing a 1916 Culture Quarter by enacting Aengus Ó Snodaigh’s Ceathrú Cultúir 1916 Bill.
- Increasing the current budget of the Heritage Council by €5m and empowering it to take a case and seek repossession through the courts where they believe important heritage is at risk as a result of intentional damage, wanton neglect or intent to destroy.
- Conducting a comprehensive review of the state’s current structures and laws for heritage policy, protection, and management in government, with a view to delivering a more efficient and effective framework to safeguard and present our treasures for generations to come.
- Delivering the overdue capital projects promised for our national cultural institutions.
- Place a duty on state-funded museums and galleries to cooperate with requests from other states for the repatriation of heritage, and a duty on our Minister for Culture to demand a return of heritage unjustly removed from Ireland, with a commitment to audit and digitise collections for wider access.
- Expanding the role of the heritage officer in local authorities to engage in public consultation to develop local heritage plans with a statutory basis to be implemented by the local authority, and to conduct an audit of all vacant historic properties in town and village centres owned by state bodies, to ensure those that can be used for housing or community cultural hubs are used for same.
- Employing a county or city archaeologist for each local authority at a cost of €1.29m.
- Ringfencing specific funding of €1m current and €5m capital to support Traveller culture, heritage and language, and examining the feasibility of establishing a specific body for conserving, developing and promoting Mincéir cultural heritage based on the Foras na Gaeilge model.
- Amending the National Archives Act, 1986, to address gaps with regard the acquisition of, and public access to, records of state-funded bodies not currently covered, and to include whatever provisions are necessary to fully capture the digital publication environment and to ensure that such electronic publications are preserved as part of our national collections
- Enacting Aengus Ó Snodaigh’s Bill to establish a public holiday marking Lá na Poblachta
- Building on the achievements of the Decade of Centenaries at engaging communities with their history by establishing an Annual Programme of Commemorations
- Introducing a National Day of Reconciliation to remember all victims of conflict in Ireland
- Fixing an annual regular date for both national and international commemoration of An Gorta Mór, announcing the following year’s chosen location during each commemoration
- Supporting efforts to make our civic spaces more representative and inclusive in terms of the historical figures they celebrate in street names and public art, continuing the state’s tradition of honouring Ireland’s heroes when naming new housing developments and infrastructure, including naming the new national children’s hospital after Dr. Kathleen Lynn.
We also have distinct sections in our manifesto on Gaeilge, the Gaeltacht and the Arts, all of which are core to our intangible cultural heritage. You can read our manifesto in full here.
Fianna Fáil
Our Party manifesto, published last Monday, outlines our Party policies on culture and heritage. You can read them from p.160 here.
Green Party
We recently launched our General Election 2024 Manifesto, which is accessible here. We have pledged to address the following if elected to the next Government:
- Maintain a unified built and archaeological heritage unit led by a dedicated Minister of State for Heritage.
- Review and amend the 1995 Heritage Act to update the definition of heritage to encompass areas like biodiversity, heritage at risk from climate change, multicultural heritage and intangible cultural heritage.
- Fund heritage teams in local authorities, including archaeological conservation officers, archaeologists, and archivists.
- Develop a National Centre of Excellence for Traditional Skills.
- Strengthen the role of the Heritage Council in providing evidence-based independent policy advice to government, including via the establishment of a heritage research unit in the Heritage Council.
People Before Profit
No unfortunately we do not have as many resources as we would like to it can be difficult for us to write policies on all of the issues we would like to cover.
The Heritage council recently announced a fund to support the appointment of heritage professionals at local authorities, including archaeologists. Does your party commit to supporting this initiative?
Sinn Féin
Not only do we support this initiative, but as is outlined in our manifesto section on cultural heritage, Sinn Féin has costed to provide an additional €1.29 million to support the employment of a county or city archaeologist for each local authority.
Fianna Fáil
Yes, and we have included a commitment on the same in our manifesto.
Green Party
The Green Party fully supports the recruitment of new heritage professionals aimed at strengthening the protection of heritage assets across the country. This was an initiative of Green Minister for Nature and Heritage, Malcolm Noonan. Minister Noonan secured funding in Budget 2025 to deliver a full suite of Heritage Teams at local authority level through the Heritage Council.
People Before Profit
Yes, we commit to supporting this.
The vast majority of Ireland’s priceless historic artefacts are stored at a rented facility under threat of sale that is arguably not fit for purpose. Would your party commit to providing a fit for purpose government owned facility during the next programme for government?
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is concerned by the state’s over-reliance on leasing private properties to fulfil state functions, and this is yet another example of the risks involved. The National Development Plan committed to additional storage for both the National Archives and the National Museum of Ireland, but the pace of action has been disappointing. That is why our manifesto includes as a priority delivery of the overdue capital projects promised for our national cultural institutions. We are also committed to conducting a comprehensive review of the state’s current structures and laws for heritage policy, protection, and management in government, with a view to delivering a more efficient and effective framework to safeguard and present our treasures for generations to come, and this would include making sure we have fit-for-purpose structures in terms of state institutions and storage facilities.
Fianna Fáil
I understand that the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media have engaged with both the OPW and the National Museum of Ireland on the matter of storage and I am happy to seek an update on those discussions. I have been fortunate to visit the storage facility which I know is used by visiting researchers also and I believe it’s vital we protect these unique and fascinating collections.
Green Party
Green Minister Catherine Martin, under her remit for Museums, and Minister Noonan, under his remit for the National Monuments Service, have worked together to secure the existing premises up to 2030, in order to address the immediate challenges. The Green Party is committed to exploring long term, sustainable solutions for multiple heritage stakeholders.
People Before Profit
Yes, we commit to supporting this.