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Wednesday 30 October 2019 Minister Madigan congratulates Grellan Rourke on receiving the International Centre for Study of Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property(ICCROM) award

The Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan TD, extends her heartfelt congratulations to Grellan Rourke on receiving the International Centre for Study of Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) award.

Congratulating the Senior Conservation Architect, Heritage Services for Ireland Minister Madigan said:

In acknowledging Mr Rourke’s contribution to conservation in Ireland many strands must be brought together in an attempt to give some idea of just how multi-facetted his contribution has been both in Ireland and further afield. His input to the profession is inextricably linked to the organisations to which he has given time, energy, and above all expertise for many years.

What is the ICCROM Award?

The ICCROM Award has been awarded to individuals who have given a significant contribution to the development of the institution, and who have special merit in the field of conservation, protection and restoration of cultural heritage. It was awarded for the first time in 1979 and is presented every two years at the General Assembly of ICCROM which is held in Rome.

Over the course of Mr. Rourke’s career his major work has been on the consolidation, conservation and preservation of the early medieval monastic settlement on the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Skelling Michael, Co.Kerry.  Other key projects include the conservation and consolidation of three medieval castle complexes in Co. Limerick and Co. Kerry, Ireland.

Mr Rourke has been engaged with ICCROM since 1981, from the time of his involvement as course participant on the Preservation and Treatment of Stone, Venice in 1981. Mr Rourke represented Ireland at the General Assembly since 2003 and from 2005 he was Council Member.

In this role, Mr Rourke participated in the drafting of ICCROM Governance Policies in 2007, which aim to assist the Council in playing its role more effectively.

In 2012, Mr Rourke promoted, as Chairman of the Council, the development of ICCROM Policies in the following areas: Training, Partnership, Expert, Selection, Staffing, Secondment, and Fundraising in order to guide decision making in the implementation of ICCROM’s strategic directions; ensure consistency and transparency of decisions; and enable evaluation and assessment of ICCROM activities. In addition, he was involved in the Amendments to the ICCROM Statutes and the Director-General's Selection Review Procedure.