BY HELEN RIDDELL
BERE Island Projects Group has been awarded €20,000 under the Heritage Council’s heritage organisations support fund to undertake further actions under the Bere Island conservation plan.
The idea for a conservation plan first came about in 2001 when there were concerns for the long-term viability of the island community, as population numbers were decreasing.
Coupled with that, the island’s built and archaeological heritage was largely undocumented, and unprotected.
Following consultations with the island community, Bere Island Projects Group – a community group which has been in existence since 1987 – approached The Heritage Council and Cork County Council for assistance.
Following further discussions with the islanders, it was decided to put in place a plan to protect both the island community, its cultural, archaeological, and built heritage, along with its natural landscape and marine environment.
Conservation plans were first used in Australia as a tool to restore and preserve a designated area’s landscape, wildlife, built heritage and ancient monuments.
Bere Island Projects Group and The Heritage Council both felt the island was the ideal candidate for such a plan, with its location and landscape serving as one of its main attractions to visitors, along with its rich military history as a strategic military stronghold.
It was also the first time that a conservation plan was prepared for an entire island.
The plan was officially launched in 2003 by TD Éamon Ó Cuív, and the Heritage Council committed to the plan at its launch by providing funding to Bere Island Projects Group. The money used to hire a contractor to implement a list of key actions.
Bernie Orpen, project co-ordinator with Bere Island Projects Group, said the group was grateful for the allocation of funding and continued support from The Heritage Council.
‘The funding awarded will enable us to continue to work to sustain a viable and vibrant community for this and future generations to live and work in,’ she added.
The group will use the funding to work on a number of actions this year, including holding a storytelling festival, a military heritage festiva and the ongoing restoration of Lonehort Battery.
They will also continue their work recording the island’s oral history, and, as part of their partnership with the Irish Community Archive Network, the group will further their work to digitise all island heritage collections.
