Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 June 2026
106. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to initiate a formal process to have the Galway Hooker boat recognised under Ireland’s framework for intangible cultural heritage in line with UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44553/26]
View answerIn December 2015, Ireland ratified the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity. My Department has responsibility for Ireland’s implementation of the Convention.
As required under the Convention, Ireland maintains a National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which, to date, includes 42 inscribed ICH practices from communities across the country. The National Inventory aims to safeguard and raise awareness of Ireland’s intangible cultural heritage locally, nationally, and internationally.
The formal process for inscription on Ireland's National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage requires an application or expression of interest to be made to my Department. In line with the Convention, these should be made by practitioners of the cultural heritage element seeking inscription. All applications are then assessed by an Expert Advisory Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage, which makes recommendations to me, as Minister, for decision.
My Department received an application seeking the inscription of Galway Hooker Boats on the National Inventory. This application was reviewed by the Expert Advisory Committee (EAC) at its meeting in September 2025. The EAC felt that additional information was necessary before a recommendation could be made on the application. My officials wrote to the applicant outlining the EAC’s queries and are currently awaiting a response and an updated application. In the meantime, the application remains open pending further information from the applicants. The EAC and my Department, remain open to and would welcome expressions of interest from other groups involved in the preservation and protection of the Galway Hooker at any time, and these would be assessed and support the process above.
Cultural practices included on Ireland’s National Inventory may also seek international recognition on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Culture of Humanity, to which the state can make a maximum of one application per year. This two-step process is required under UNESCO criteria. To date, Ireland has had five elements of our living heritage inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity: Uilleann Piping, Hurling, Irish Harping, Falconry, and Dry Stone Construction. A further application has been submitted by the State and is currently under assessment by UNESCO.
