Art Law in Ireland

Ireland recently announced that it was adding four practices to the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. These four are:

• Men and women’s Gaelic Football,
• Weaving of a St. Brigid’s Cross,
• Set Dancing, and
• The Amateur Theatre Tradition

I thought I would use this as an opportunity to look at UNESCO’s Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage,

UNESCO, which stands for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, was established by the UN in 1945. It’s stated mission is to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information. In 2003 UNESCO adopted the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Ireland ratified the Convention in 2015.

Intangible Cultural Heritage is defined in the Convention as “the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage.” It stands apart from physical cultural heritage such as monuments, artworks, objects, and books etc., and includes things like folklore, musical traditions, language, and knowledge. Things that are passed down through the generations. There can be objects associated with intangible culture.

As part of the Convention, each country must take measures to safeguard its own intangible culture. They must also create an inventory of intangible cultural heritage which must be kept regularly updated. Ireland’s one is here. The idea is that each country will foster awareness, documentation, promotion, and protection of their own intangible cultural heritage. Furthermore, there is a Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity published by UNESCO. States nominate practices to be included on this list. Ireland has currently three unique practices ‘inscribed’ on the list:

• Uilleann Piping
• Hurling, and
• Irish Harping

It is also joined to Falconry and has requested, along with Andorra, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg, to be added to the Dry Stone Construction inscription.

It is nice to see Ireland leaning into its intangible cultural heritage, as we are, maybe, a country that prides itself on its music, storytelling, and folklore etc. more so than physical monuments. At least perhaps to a greater extent than some other European countries. Una Mullaly recently wrote an article suggesting that Irish Pub Culture should be nominated to the UNESCO list (an idea originally put forward by Niamh Smyth TD). An interesting idea, but even adding it to the National list could be done quite easily.

Interestingly, the UK only ratified the Convention in March this year joining the182 other countries who have already done so, however there does not appear to be a UK Inventory published yet. There are plenty of options to put on it of course.