A Future for Irish Historic Houses - Irish Heritage Trust

and heritage at Birr is in imminent danger if the estate is forced to pay a once off 6 per
cent discretionary trust tax liability and a 1 per cent annual levy thereafter on the
gross value of the estate. While amendments to discretionary trust legislation to
ensure the survival of the castle and its contents would be of greater value to the state
than a once off tax benefit to the government, amendments should be conditional on
the opening of the house to the public.
At the end of the day, it is not taxation that is the main problem for most of the
original owners; rather it is the lack of income/funding. More grant aid is essential
rather than more tax exemptions.
3.4 (iv): Insurance
Insurance costs, which have risen dramatically over the last five years or so, are a
huge threat to historic houses. On more than one occasion, Lord Altamont, for
example, has threatened to close Westport because of escalating public liability
insurance costs. Even for a relatively small country house an annual insurance
premium would cost in the region of €18,000.
Arguably, most concern should be focused upon houses in the ownership of original
families because of the value of their contents. Of the twenty-two original owners
who provided information on insurance, all said that the house and contents were
inadequately insured or that the house but not the contents were insured or that there
was no insurance at all. The point was very clear: adequate insurance was simply not
affordable. Thus, in the event of a major fire or burglary, there is a strong risk that
resources would not be available to make good the damage caused.
What is also of great concern is that country houses are beginning to become targets
of what Lord Henry Mount Charles describes as ‘creeping compensationitis’, a
disease that seems to be affecting Irish society in general. This is proving to be a great
source of concern to those private owners who have allowed public access to their
woods and parkland in the past. The most unfortunate aspect of this is that many
owners claim that they would be more than willing to allow greater access to their
woodlands, pleasure grounds and lakeshore areas if insurance was not such a burden
and the fear of litigation not so great.
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