National Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscapes
Special Notice:
Our good friend and colleague Liz Morgan passed away in early Spring this year. She was a landscape conservation architect formerly with the Office of Public Works, and specialized in conservation of Historic Landscapes and Gardens. She had been the President of the National Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscape (ICOMOS) for a number of years. We will greatly miss her warm heart, tireless spirit and commitment to cultural landscapes, and we offer our condolences to Liz’s husband, Gerry Kelly, and to her family, friends and colleagues.
Introduction:
Cultural landscapes are landscapes that reflect the combined works of nature and of people. They may be grouped into three categories:
Designed landscapes, created intentionally by people, such as parks and gardens, and demesnes,
Organically evolving landscapes, that are continuing such as agricultural landscapes or may be relict such as many archaeological landscapes which reflect the work and lives of human beings;
Associative cultural landscapes, which reflect intangible values, sometimes spiritual or cultural of a particular society or group of people. They are generally not physically marked by human activity.
These landscapes are living processes that include many different elements, both tangible and intangible, they can be manifestations of traditions, values and customs of particular cultures, they are a testimony to the way in which a society interacts with its environment, ultimately demonstrating layers of human interaction with nature.
Objectives
Raise awareness and understanding of the value and significance of cultural landscapes as an integral part of the historic environment both urban& rural;
Promote ICOMOS Charters and the principles of conservation to communities and government agencies whose work affects cultural Landscapes
Collaborate and contribute to ICOMOS Ireland and ICOMOS IFLA ISCCL on cultural landscape matters
Support the implementation of the National Landscape Strategy arising out of Council of Europe European Landscape Convention 2000.
Activities
The NSCCL hosted the five day Annual Meeting of the ISCCL and an associated Public Symposium: ‘The Culture Nature Spectrum: Conversations about Irish Cultural Landscapes with an International Perspective’ in Dublin, June 2019. The Programme for the Symposium can be seen here:
Recordings of the talks and presentations during the Symposium can be viewed here: Presentations
European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018. – Schools Passage Tomb Project -links tbac
Irish Rural Landscape Amateur Photographic Competition, 2012. Winning entries. Links to poster and exhibited entries to be added
Publications
- ICOMOS Florence Charter
- ICOMOS Burra Charter
- ICOMOS-IFLA Principles Concerning Rural Landscapes as Heritage
- European Landscape Convention- Council of Europe Florence, 2000
Links
- ICOMOS IFLA International Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscapes
- http://www.worldrurallandscapes.org
Membership of NSCCL
President: Elizabeth Morgan R.I.P.
(Please See Special Notice at the Start of this page in tribute to and memory of Liz).
Vice President: William Cumming, was responsible for the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and managed the NIAH Survey of Historic Gardens &; Designed Landscapes, and is Membership Secretary of the ISCCL
Secretary: Cora Coleman is a qualified art historian and landscape designer who works as a senior building conservation consultant in the private sector.
Claire Foley: Archaeologist, formerly with Northern Ireland Historic Environment Agency, with a special interest in land use policy and community involvement in the protection and conservation of the historic environment
Mary Laheen: is an Architect, and Assistant Professor of Architecture at UCD. She is the author of various publications related to cultural landscape; currently the Voting Member for Ireland on the ISCCL.
Colm Murray: has qualifications in architecture, conservation and planning. He works in public policy in relation to heritage. He has written about the pubic and social value of heritage.
Shóna O’Keefe: completed MUBC at UCD in 2016 on ‘Cultural Landscapes of the Guinness Family Homes in the Liffey Valley’. Currently working with David Slattery Conservation Architects. Secretary, Irish branch of Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.
Tony Williams: is a landscape architect and natural scientist. Currently working on Infrastructure Projects with Transport Infrastructure Ireland and involved in research at Trinity College Dublin, on landscape issues with a focus on Nature-Based Solutions www.connectingnature.eu
For further information on the Committee, please contact the membership secretary of ICOMOS Ireland, Mary-Liz McCarthy, at icomos.ireland.membership@gmail.com.