1. Executive Summary: A Strategic Vision for Heritage-Led Regeneration
County Kildare's heritage is an invaluable asset that, if strategically managed, can become the primary driver of sustainable community development, economic growth, and cultural enrichment for the next decade. This submission presents a comprehensive strategy comprising seven shovel-ready priority projects, identifies key overlooked themes and sites, outlines a long-term vision for securing international UNESCO status and EU funding, proposes a cutting-edge digital strategy using 3D models, includes a robust framework for monitoring, adds practical tourism partnerships and community maintenance solutions, and introduces a regional Christian heritage trail with neighbouring counties. We urge the Council to adopt this integrated framework as the core of the final Heritage Plan 2026-2031, transforming it from a policy document into an actionable delivery programme.
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Teideal:
2. Priority Projects for Immediate Action (2026-2031)
The following seven projects should be formally designated as Tier 1 Priority Actions within the Heritage Plan, with a commitment to secure funding and initiate feasibility studies within the first 18 months.
Jigginstown Castle, Naas: Full structural preservation and establishment of a National Heritage Skills Training Centre to save this monument and address the national skills gap in traditional building trades.
Kildare Town Market Square: Comprehensive urban regeneration of derelict structures to revitalize the historic town centre, fully aligned with the "Town Centre First" policy.
Kilcullen Mill/Weir: Restoration as a Water & Industrial Heritage Hub, directly linked to the Greenway to promote sustainable tourism and public amenity.
Mullacash Hill, Naas: Formal protection and development as a managed public park, securing panoramic views and enhancing biodiversity and recreational access.
Milltown Railway Station: Restoration as a Heritage Gateway & Trailhead Hub for walking and cycling tourism on the Curragh Plains.
Hill of Allen: Compulsory acquisition of a public right-of-way and restoration of the folly tower to resolve the access crisis at this site of national significance.
The Shackleton Quarter, Athy: Conversion of a vacant protected structure into a high-spec digital co-working and enterprise hub, linking heritage conservation with the modern digital economy.
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3. Overlooked Heritage Issues & Additional Sites
The draft Plan can be strengthened by addressing these critical gaps:
A. Overlooked Strategic Themes:
Heritage Skills Crisis: Integrate a dedicated strategy for training in traditional trades.
Digital Integration: Develop a county-wide plan for 3D scanning, virtual tours, and digital archives.
Active Travel Connectivity: Formally and safely link heritage sites to Greenways and cycling networks.
Performance Monitoring: Implement clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure the Plan's success.
B. Additional Key Sites for Inclusion:
The Grand Canal Corridor: A unified strategy for harbour restoration, boating tourism, and waterside businesses in Robertstown, Sallins, and Lowtown.
Ballymore Eustace Fortifications: Conservation and promotion as a key stop on a "Medieval Kildare" trail.
Curragh Camp Military Heritage: Support for the development of a dedicated museum or public history tour.
Furness Historic House, Naas: Support for a conservation management plan.
St. Brigid's Cathedral & Round Tower, Kildare Town: Enhanced visitor facilities and interpretation.
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4. Regional Partnership: "The Midlands Christian Heritage Trail"
A. Regional Religious Trail Expansion:
Create "The St. Brigid & Early Christianity Trail": Partner with neighbouring counties to develop a regional pilgrimage route connecting key Christian heritage sites across the midlands.
County Kildare Sites: St. Brigid's Cathedral & Round Tower (Kildare Town), Old Kilcullen Church & Round Tower, Taghadoe Round Tower, St. Patrick's Church (Ballysax).
Regional Connections: Connect with Clonmacnoise (County Offaly), Durrow Abbey (County Offaly), Rock of Dunamase (County Laois), and Monasterevin (County Kildare-Laois border).
Strategic Benefits: Positions Kildare as the heart of early Christian heritage in Ireland, attracts international pilgrimage tourism, and creates multi-day visitor itineraries that benefit all participating counties.
B. Tourism Partnership Programme:
Partner with Irish Tour Operators: Actively partner with established tour companies like Paddywagon Tours, Irish Day Tours, and Vagabond Tours to create dedicated "Kildare Heritage Day Trips" and multi-day "Midlands Christian Heritage Tours" from Dublin.
Curated Itineraries: Develop themed tours such as "Medieval Kildare," "Industrial Heritage," or "St. Brigid's Trail" that include multiple heritage sites, local crafts, and food experiences.
Economic Benefits: This guarantees visitor numbers, supports local businesses, and creates sustainable tourism revenue streams.
C. Community Maintenance Programme:
Local Caretaker System: Establish a formal programme where local residents or community groups can adopt and maintain specific heritage sites, including basic upkeep, litter picking, and minor repairs.
Public Facility Maintenance: For public toilets and facilities at heritage sites, implement a "Community Warden" system where trained local residents handle daily opening, closing, cleaning, and basic maintenance.
Benefits: Creates local employment, ensures facilities are well-maintained, reduces Council overheads, and fosters strong community ownership of heritage assets.
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5. A Digital Future: 3D Modelling & Tourism Integration
A key overlooked opportunity is the use of advanced digital technology to promote and preserve our heritage. We propose the creation of a "Digital Kildare Heritage" initiative.
The Proposal:
Commission high-resolution 3D laser scanning and photogrammetry for all seven priority projects and key additional sites.
Create immersive online 3D models that users can explore virtually from anywhere in the world.
Integrate these 3D models directly into the Fáilte Ireland website, "Ireland.com," and a dedicated section on the "Discover Kildare" website.
Strategic Benefits:
Virtual Access for Inaccessible Sites: The public can virtually "visit" and understand sites like Jigginstown Castle or the Hill of Allen folly before physical access is restored, building excitement and public support.
Global Marketing Tool: Stunning 3D models act as a powerful "digital brochure" to attract international tourists and history enthusiasts.
Preservation & Planning: The 3D data serves as a permanent digital record of the current state of a structure, crucial for conservation planning, monitoring decay, and virtual restoration studies.
Educational Resource: Becomes a vital tool for schools and universities, both in Ireland and abroad.
Action in this Plan: Allocate specific funding for a pilot 3D modelling project for two sites (e.g., Jigginstown Castle and Kilcullen Mill) and formally partner with Fáilte Ireland to host the content.
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6. A Long-Term Vision: Pursuing UNESCO & EU Designation
The Heritage Plan 2026-2031 must initiate a long-term strategy to position County Kildare for international recognition and access significant external funding.
A. Pathway to UNESCO Designation: We recommend the Council immediately begin work towards two potential designations:
UNESCO Global Geopark: "The Kildare Lakelands & Boglands": This would celebrate our unique natural heritage, encompassing our lakes, the Bog of Allen, and the Curragh, telling a 10,000-year story of geology and human interaction.
UNESCO World Heritage Site: "The Monastic City of Kildare": A long-term goal to nominate the complex of St. Brigid's Cathedral and Round Tower, recognising its "Outstanding Universal Value."
Action in this Plan: Include an objective to "Explore pathways to UNESCO designation" and allocate funding for a scoping study in 2026.
B. Strategic Access to European Union Funding: The EU provides the most significant source of external funding for heritage, rural development, and climate action. The Heritage Plan must be explicitly aligned to tap into these programmes.
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF): For urban regeneration (Kildare Town Square), SME support (The Shackleton Quarter), and digital innovation (3D Modelling Project).
Just Transition Fund: For retrofitting heritage buildings and skills development in the Midlands region, perfectly suited for the Jigginstown Skills Centre.
LIFE Programme: For biodiversity, climate adaptation, and water management projects at sites like Mullacash Hill and Kilcullen Weir.
Creative Europe: For cultural heritage projects, artist residencies, and promoting St. Brigid's cultural legacy.
Action in this Plan: Task the Heritage Officer with preparing a dedicated "EU Funding Strategy" for heritage, identifying specific calls and building partnerships to ensure Kildare's projects are "application-ready."
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7. Ensuring Delivery: A Framework for Monitoring & Community Engagement
To ensure the Heritage Plan delivers real results, we recommend establishing a transparent public accountability framework:
Proposed Monitoring Mechanism:
Public Heritage Dashboard: Create an online "Kildare Heritage Plan Dashboard" showing progress for each priority project with simple traffic-light indicators (Green=On Track, Amber=Needs Attention, Red=Delayed).
Bi-Annual Progress Reports: Publish concise public reports every six months, highlighting achievements, challenges, and next steps.
Community Partnership Panels: Establish local volunteer panels for each major project to provide ongoing community input and sustain momentum.
Annual Public Review Meeting: Host a yearly event where the Heritage Officer presents progress and directly answers questions from the public.
Benefits:
Builds Public Trust through transparency
Maintains Momentum over the 6-year plan
Early Problem Identification when projects face delays
Strengthens Community Ownership of heritage assets
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8. Conclusion & Call to Action
Our Plan provides a clear, actionable, and visionary framework. By formally adopting these seven priority projects, addressing the identified gaps, establishing regional religious heritage partnerships, implementing practical tourism and maintenance solutions, launching a digital 3D strategy, initiating the process for UNESCO and EU support, and implementing a robust monitoring framework, Kildare County Council will demonstrate transformative leadership in heritage stewardship.
We urge you to embed this strategy into the final Kildare Heritage Plan 2026-2031 to secure a prosperous and culturally rich future for our county.
Tuairimí
County Kildare's heritage is an invaluable asset that, if strategically managed, can become the primary driver of sustainable community development, economic growth, and cultural enrichment for the next decade. This submission presents a comprehensive strategy comprising seven shovel-ready priority projects, identifies key overlooked themes and sites, outlines a long-term vision for securing international UNESCO status and EU funding, proposes a cutting-edge digital strategy using 3D models, includes a robust framework for monitoring, adds practical tourism partnerships and community maintenance solutions, and introduces a regional Christian heritage trail with neighbouring counties. We urge the Council to adopt this integrated framework as the core of the final Heritage Plan 2026-2031, transforming it from a policy document into an actionable delivery programme.
The following seven projects should be formally designated as Tier 1 Priority Actions within the Heritage Plan, with a commitment to secure funding and initiate feasibility studies within the first 18 months.
The Shackleton Quarter, Athy: Conversion of a vacant protected structure into a high-spec digital co-working and enterprise hub, linking heritage conservation with the modern digital economy.
The draft Plan can be strengthened by addressing these critical gaps:
A. Overlooked Strategic Themes:
B. Additional Key Sites for Inclusion:
A. Regional Religious Trail Expansion:
B. Tourism Partnership Programme:
C. Community Maintenance Programme:
A key overlooked opportunity is the use of advanced digital technology to promote and preserve our heritage. We propose the creation of a "Digital Kildare Heritage" initiative.
The Proposal:
Strategic Benefits:
Action in this Plan: Allocate specific funding for a pilot 3D modelling project for two sites (e.g., Jigginstown Castle and Kilcullen Mill) and formally partner with Fáilte Ireland to host the content.
The Heritage Plan 2026-2031 must initiate a long-term strategy to position County Kildare for international recognition and access significant external funding.
A. Pathway to UNESCO Designation:
We recommend the Council immediately begin work towards two potential designations:
Action in this Plan: Include an objective to "Explore pathways to UNESCO designation" and allocate funding for a scoping study in 2026.
B. Strategic Access to European Union Funding:
The EU provides the most significant source of external funding for heritage, rural development, and climate action. The Heritage Plan must be explicitly aligned to tap into these programmes.
Action in this Plan: Task the Heritage Officer with preparing a dedicated "EU Funding Strategy" for heritage, identifying specific calls and building partnerships to ensure Kildare's projects are "application-ready."
To ensure the Heritage Plan delivers real results, we recommend establishing a transparent public accountability framework:
Proposed Monitoring Mechanism:
Benefits:
Our Plan provides a clear, actionable, and visionary framework. By formally adopting these seven priority projects, addressing the identified gaps, establishing regional religious heritage partnerships, implementing practical tourism and maintenance solutions, launching a digital 3D strategy, initiating the process for UNESCO and EU support, and implementing a robust monitoring framework, Kildare County Council will demonstrate transformative leadership in heritage stewardship.
We urge you to embed this strategy into the final Kildare Heritage Plan 2026-2031 to secure a prosperous and culturally rich future for our county.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Mohamad Roomy Shahull hameed