Kells tourism meeting heritage minister

Kells & District Tourism Forum is to meet with the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD this evening.

On the agenda is the urgent and short term protection of the Kells Crosses, the panels of which are accelerating in their fade due to the changes in our environment. The Forum is looking for protective action to be taken before the winter of 2015.

A similar discussion had been had in April, 2014, with the former Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan TD.

As the town of Kells is on the tentative list to become a World Heritage Site as part of six monastic sites being put forward, several requirements must be in place before inscription is considered, such as the current management plan for the monuments and the communication processes between all parties involved.

Attending with the Forum will be Gerry Wiseman on behalf of St Columba’s Church, where three of the four existing crosses stand.

In August, as part of National Heritage Week, Dr Peter Harbison, a leading expert on Irish High Crosses, will be taking part in a discussion about the Kells Monuments.

Minister Humphreys will be in town to officially launch the Hay Festial 2015.

On her way to Kells, she will visit Donaghpatrick Church on the banks of the Blackwater, outside Navan.

She will be receiving  a guided tour of the church and grounds from a local committee.