Nearly €1 million in funding will be allocated in 2025 to recruit heritage professionals across the Country, aiming to enhance the protection of heritage assets within local authorities.
The announcenemt was made by Minister for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform and Green Party TD for Carlow Kilkenny, Malcolm Noonan
Mr Noonan told KCLR News its been his aim for a long time.
Making the announcement at Butler House and Gardens in Kilkenny, Minister Noonan said:
“It has been my long-held ambition that every local authority in Ireland should have a full complement of heritage professionals on staff, and in particular I’ve been anxious to see a county archivist for Kilkenny. I’m delighted to announce that the funding I’m making available for the recruitment of additional heritage professionals to local authorities in 2025 will allow Kilkenny County Council to have a county archivist in place from next year.
“This is part of a wider recruitment programme that will see more heritage professionals working in all our local authorities, including archaeologists, archivists and architectural conservation officers – hugely important posts creating interdisciplinary teams that can work together on a wide range of projects and draw down heritage funding from various sources.
“Having a county archivist for Kilkenny is essential because we hold records here that are among the oldest and most important in Britain or Ireland. It is vital that every County Council has in place a county archivist to collect, collate and conserve important historical documents. So this is a really wonderful announcement and I’m delighted as Minister for Heritage to have been able to work with the Heritage Council over the past number of years to deliver this really important post for our city and county.”
