The Heritage Council today launched a survey on the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the heritage sector.
In keeping with other sectors of society, the heritage sector has faced closures, job losses, delays, and increased home working. Some heritage sites have seen increased pressure from visitor numbers and many organisations have been busy developing new online content for those engaged in home schooling or cocooned.
This survey attempts to quantify the impact of this on community groups, specialised businesses, visitor sites and organisations. The Heritage Council anticipates that the findings of this will help advise government about supports for the sector.
The survey was devised after examining equivalent surveys carried out in Ireland and the UK and was tested by a leading marketing research company.
The Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan, TD, welcomed the Heritage Council survey, saying:
The heritage that surrounds us each and every day provides the comfort of what has come before us and what continues to endure.
Our heritage,
she continued,
is central to our communities right across the country; it is who we were, and who we are; it is vital to our identity, our story, and our spirit. The wonderful resilience of our communities has never been so vividly evident as in these past, difficult weeks. This survey will allow the heritage sector to assess the impact of, and a response to, this unprecedented crisis.
Commenting today, Heritage Council CEO Virginia Teehan stated that:
This crisis affects us all, our families, our friends and our colleagues, we have all felt anxiety or fear and the discomfort of a rapidly changing world. At the Heritage Council we are acutely aware of the impact of Covid-19 on our sector which is an integral part of the wider economy and society.
So, the question that we are asking you is: how can we survive this crisis, and indeed possibly thrive in the future?
We urge you, our partners within the wide heritage sector, to complete this survey and give us a full picture of the impact of the Covid 19 restrictions on heritage practitioners, communities, and organisations. While we know of innovative responses to this unprecedented situation, we also know of the strain it has caused. We hope thats this survey will provide an evidence base to allow us to develop responses to help the sector.
The findings from this will be published and presented to the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
The survey is available at https://www.heritagecouncil.ie/news/news-features/heritage-sector-survey and the closing date is the 6th of May 2020.
Contact: Ian Doyle, Head of Conservation, the Heritage Council
idoyle@heritagecouncil.ie 086 8329378