Economic Value of Ireland's Historic Environment - The Heritage ...

2 Irish Landmark Trust
2.1 The Asset
The Irish Landmark Trust (ILT) is a charitable organisation, which was founded in 1992 to save heritage
buildings in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland that are at risk of being lost through neglect,
abandonment or inappropriate use. ILT properties are not simply conserved or restored. They are also
rented out as holiday homes so as to ensure that they have a viable future and once again become the
living, breathing buildings that they were first intended to be. The ILT is therefore a similar organisation to
the Landmark Trust in Great Britain 41 .
The ILT seeks to develop an important part of Ireland‟s tourism infrastructure for domestic and overseas
visitors, whilst at the same time maintaining the country‟s rich architectural and social heritage. From a
heritage perspective, however, the ILT does not solely seek to maintain the “bricks and mortar” of a
building‟s heritage. Rather, it also seeks to conserve and promote the stories of the properties by making
them accessible and tangible to visitors, and by educating visitors about the histories of the properties
and the people who once lived in them.
The ILT currently operates about 20 mainly small-scale properties
as holiday homes, with another five properties at various stages of
restoration and development. The properties currently available
present a mix of heritage buildings, including gate lodges, a
lighthouse and lightkeepers‟ houses, castles, tower houses, a
schoolhouse and a mews. Virtually all of the properties are listed
buildings.
Loop Head Lightkeepers House, Co. Clare
Properties are spread throughout 12 counties across the island of Ireland, including Antrim, Clare, Cork,
Donegal, Down, Dublin, Fermanagh, Kildare, Kilkenny, Sligo, Waterford and Wicklow. There are 13
properties available for rental in the Republic of Ireland (with a total room capacity of 35 and bed capacity
of 60) and seven properties available for rental in Northern Ireland (with a total room capacity of 15 and
bed capacity of 27). In addition, the other five properties under development will extend the ILT presence
in Antrim and Cork as well as introducing new counties in Kerry, Limerick and Wexford.
When it was first established, the ILT engaged in a process of actively identifying potential candidate
projects for restoration throughout Ireland and approaching owners to see if they were interested in
working with the ILT. At this stage, however, the ILT has established a reputation as an expert in this kind
of restoration project, and owners approach it to see if it will consider taking further properties on board.
In 2010, for example, the ILT‟s Property Committee considered 12 submissions by individuals and
organisations requesting it to take on their heritage properties.
41 The Landmark Trust has properties in England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands, France and Italy.
A5