HeritACT holds annual consortium meeting in Ballina
Participants in the HeritACT Ballina Consortium Meeting 2025, which took place at Belleek Castle in Ballina. Picture: Michael McLaughlin
Earlier this month the HeritACT Consortium, including representatives from the three pilot locations of Ballina, Milan and Eleusis, gathered for their annual consortium meeting to promote cultural heritage as a catalyst for sustainable development and well-being through the practice of inclusive placemaking.
This inspiring two-day event, filled with collaboration, exchange, and progress, commenced on May 14th at the European Parliament Liaison Office in Dublin where Ferghas O’Béara and Senator Mark Duffy welcomed the consortium and opened the day by sharing reflections on European policy and the importance of communities acting collectively and locally.
Their contributions set the tone for a series of insightful presentations, starting with Ecosystem Mapping, which includes the development of several tools such as the HeritACT and New European Bauhaus Compendium, and their integration with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
This was followed by a deeper look into the design, development and learnings of applying the HeritACT Digital Toolkit, focusing specifically on the plans being created to support the pilots including Ballina in setting up mechanisms for co-participatory activities with their local communities. Hosted by HeritACT Ballina with Mayo County Council in beautiful sunshine at Belleek Castle in Belleek Woods, the sessions on May 15th included the exploration of core areas of interest including co-recognition and co-envisioning outcomes, as well as co-design and co-action processes.
The presentations were particularly valuable as they offered detailed insights into how each tool was co-assessed, implemented, and installed, and the role they play with our varied communities.
These were followed by updates on impact assessment, the development of guidelines and recommendations, participatory community monitoring and evaluation, and the upcoming communication, dissemination, and exploitation initiatives planned. In the afternoon, a dedicated series of workshops focused on the development and planning of Ballina’s activation events and the next phases of the project.
