Council not ruling out Ceide Fields Unesco application

Mayo County Council has not dismissed the idea of applying for Unesco Heritage Site status for the Ceide Fields in the future.

The local authority opted not to push forward with a nomination for the North Mayo neolithic site due to a lack of “unanimous local public support” at the time.

The issue was raised at a meeting of Mayo County Council following an article in a national newspaper.

Chief Executive of Mayo County Council, Kevin Kelly said there has been no recent conversation on the matter and the original process which was reported on occurred a number of years ago.

“This process was a number of years ago and has been no recent conversation on the ground. It has been indicated by Mayo County Council that if there is community support for putting forward the Ceide Fields as a possibility for a Unesco heritage site we will support it. But we can only do that with community support and at the appropriate time when the applicants are open,” he said.

Director of Services, Tom Gilligan stated that the level of support was measured with consultation in the community and meetings with individuals.

Fine Gael’s Gerry Coyle said he attended a meeting in the area at the time. He said the position of the community at that juncture was that Unesco status could result in too many restrictions.

Mr Kelly said Mayo County Council is open to applying for the status in the future if public support is there.

World Heritage Sites are recognised for their importance to humanity, and they are protected and conserved under an international treaty. The existing list of sites includes the Serengeti in Tanzania, the Egyptian Pyramids and the Great Barrier Reef. Ireland currently has three sites on the list: Sceilg Mhichíl, Brú na Bóinne and the Giant’s Causeway.