Adopt a Monument Ireland

The Adopt a Monument Scheme helps to bring monuments back to the heart of the community

Adopt a Monument Ireland

The Adopt a Monument Scheme helps to bring monuments back to the heart of the community

Around every corner in Ireland you can discover an echo of the past, Ireland’s landscapes, cities, towns and villages abound with an incredible variety of heritage sites. These sites can range from prehistoric tombs, early monasteries, medieval walled towns, mighty castles, churches and graveyards and landed estates to industrial and agricultural heritage like mines, kilns and mills, along with more recent cultural sites such as handball alleys, traditional houses and architecture or key areas from social history such as battlefields, or sites associated with political struggle.

Adopt a Monument Ireland is an initiative of the Heritage Council, and project managed by Abarta Heritage

Following in the successful footsteps of Archaeology Scotland’s Adopt a Monument SchemeThe Heritage Council launched an Irish version of the scheme and contracted Abarta Heritage as project managers in 2015. Through the scheme, Abarta Heritage provides facilitation, expertise, mentoring, training and support to community groups to help them to care for their local heritage.

The scheme can provide a powerful mechanism to connect these monuments with communities for the benefit of both. For participants the scheme offers opportunities to work collaboratively together as a community, to get active and participate in community development, to boost regional tourism and business and employment opportunities and to develop and understand the story of the locality. For the monuments, the scheme has the potential to ensure ongoing maintenance and care, increased protection through increased civic value, and much higher standards of interpretation and understanding.

Adopt a Monument Scheme Groups

Ballintleva Handball Alley

BALLINTLEVA HANDBALL ABBEY,
CO. ROSCOMMON

Killeshandra Tidy Towns with Cavan County Council Heritage Officer Anne Marie Ward and Roisin Burke of Abarta Heritage during a Heritage Week event for Adopt a Monument group at the Church of the Rath

CHURCH OF THE RATH,
CO. CAVAN

DOON FORT,
CO. DONEGAL

Gallows Hill Motte, Co. Waterford

GALLOWSHILL MOTTE,
CO. WATERFORD

Local participants taking part in a geophysical survey at Roundhill, Lismore, Co. Waterford

ROUNDHILL,
CO. WATERFORD

The Adopt a Monument Group at Glenmalure, Co. Wicklow

GLENMALURE CRUSHER BUILDING,
CO. WICKLOW

Kilbarron Castle, Co. Donegal

KILBARRON CASTLE,
CO. DONEGAL

St Peter's Church, Portlaois, Co. Laois

ST PETER’S CHURCH,
CO. LAOIS

Earlshill Powder House & Colliery, Co. Tipperary

EARLSHILL COLLIERY & POWDER HOUSE,
CO. TIPPERARY

BRIDIE LAWLOR SMART ST MOLING'S MILL RACE, CO. CARLOW

ST MOLING’S MILLRACE,
CO. CARLOW

Knockboy Church, Co. Waterford

KNOCKBOY CHURCH,
CO. WATERFORD

KILFINANE MOTTE,
CO. LIMERICK

Mountbellew Walled Garden, Co. Galway

MOUNTBELLEW WALLED GARDEN,
CO. GALWAY

Ballyogan moated site, Brandon Hill, Co. Kilkenny aerial view

BRANDON HILL MOATED SITE,
CO. KILKENNY

Graves of the Leinstermen, Tipperary

GRAVES OF THE LEINSTERMEN,
CO. TIPPERARY

Kilkerrin Battery Fort, Co. Clare

KILKERRIN BATTERY FORT,
CO. CLARE

Stonemason Eoin Madigan and Conor Ryan Abarta Heritage inspecting Kilmurray Lime Kiln in County Clare

KILMURRAY LIME KILN,
CO. CLARE

Malin Well Old Church, Co. Donegal

MALIN WELL OLD CHURCH,
CO. DONEGAL

Moygara Castle, Co. Sligo

MOYGARA CASTLE,
CO. SLIGO

St Finian's Church, Lucan, Co. Dublin

ST FINIAN’S CHURCH,
CO. DUBLIN

What Types of Monuments can be Adopted?

Any type of monument dating from any period can be included in the scheme (providing you have sought permission from the landowner and the monument is not in the ownership of the Minister for Culture, Heritage & the Gaeltacht and managed by the Office of Public Works). If you are unsure as to whether your monument is eligible please do get in touch with us.

What Types of Groups can Participate?

Any voluntary group or organisation is eligible to take part in this scheme, for example Tidy Towns committees, archaeological societies, local history groups, Men’s Sheds, Community Development Organisations or more. However at this time we do not recommend adoptions by individuals, as the workload is too great for one person to manage alone.

Adopt A Monument Manual

The Adopt a Monument Manual has been designed to provide a framework and guidance for community groups who wish to engage with their heritage. This manual covers some of the key factors, requirements and scenarios that are common to heritage projects across Ireland.

It has been designed as a guidance document for participants in the scheme, but we hope it is also useful for any communities who are interested in carrying out community heritage projects. Community heritage is becoming increasingly popular each year, and we hope that the manual provides information and techniques about some of the common factors that may occur in any heritage project.


The Manual Covers a Broad Range of Themes Including:

  • How to form and manage your group
  • Research Techniques
  • Recording Techniques
  • Publication & Archiving
  • Best Practice in Care & Conservation
  • Interpretation
  • Promotion, Outreach & Communications
  • Funding Sources
  • Health & Safety
  • Useful Contacts & Statutory Requirements

The manual was written by Róisín Burke, Neil Jackman and Conor Ryan of Abarta Heritage, with contributions and support from the Heritage Council, the National Monuments Service and Archaeology Scotland.

Adopt A Monument Manual

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