National Inventory of Architectural Heritage facts for kids
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) is a special group in Ireland. They keep a huge list of important old buildings and structures. This list covers things built in the Republic of Ireland since the year 1700. It works alongside another group, the Archaeological Survey of Ireland. That group looks after even older sites from before 1700.
By 2020, the NIAH list had over 40,000 entries. These include buildings, monuments, and even street items like old lampposts. The NIAH only covers the Republic of Ireland, not Northern Ireland.
What is the NIAH and How it Started?
The NIAH is part of the Heritage Division. This division is inside the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The NIAH started in 1990. It was created because Ireland signed an agreement. This agreement was about protecting old buildings in Europe.
At first, the NIAH just made lists. They identified buildings and sites that needed protection. Later, a law was passed in 1999. This law gave the NIAH more power. It allowed them to visit buildings to check them. It also made local councils responsible for protecting these places.
Then, a new law in 2000 changed things again. Local councils became responsible for keeping their own lists of protected buildings. The NIAH's main job became finding and documenting important architectural heritage.
How the NIAH Works to Find Old Buildings
The NIAH began surveying towns in 1991. Clare was the very first county to have a full survey. When they look at a building, they give it a rating. This rating shows how important it is. The ratings are "record only," "local," "regional," "national," and "international."
Buildings that are "regional" or higher are usually considered for protection. In 2001, a minister named Síle de Valera used these surveys. She suggested that 2,155 buildings should be protected. Local councils then added these to their lists.
Surveying the whole country would take a very long time. So, they decided to do quicker county surveys. These surveys focused on buildings that were at least "regional" in importance. The results of these surveys were put on CD-ROMs and online. You can find this information online for free. The NIAH also publishes books. These books show off the most interesting buildings from each survey. By 2017, 33 of these books had been published.
Protecting Historic Gardens and Landscapes
The NIAH also works on another cool project. They survey historic gardens and designed landscapes. They start by looking at old maps from the 1800s. These maps are from the Ordnance Survey. They compare them with modern aerial photos. Then, they visit the sites in person to check them out.
In June 2009, the NIAH won an award for this project. It was the Europa Nostra Award. This award celebrates great work in cultural heritage.
