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In July of this year, the Irish Times published an opinion piece by Prof Alfred P. Smyth, a native of Co. Meath, who has published widely on early Ireland. It is a hugely interesting and very challenging piece, you can read it here and form your own opinion: Historic sites have all the signs of gross ineptitude

But it got me thinking about how those of us in the tourist industry treat the historic places we visit and bring visitors to.  As readers of our blog and others who follow us on Twitter and Facebook will know,  we are based in the small north Meath town of Oldcastle, close to the Loughcrew Cairns, or Sliabh na Caillí as they are often known.  One of the things that led us to set up our business was the simplicity and openness of the cairns, and other nearby sites of immense historical importance, such as Fore Abbey in neighbouring Co. Westmeath.  What I mean by openness is quite straightforward – these two sites (and indeed many like them throughout Ireland’s north-east) are simply THERE, anyone can visit them at any time.  I have been up to the cairns in all seasons, sometimes I have been the only person up there.  And that is a pretty special experience I can tell you.

You don’t need to make an appointment to visit the cairns, or Fore Abbey, or indeed Monasterboice (one of the sites Prof Smyth refers to), they are simply there, in the Irish countryside, as they have been for hundreds and, in the case of the cairns, thousands of years.  Inevitably time, weather and religious and political upheavals have taken their toll on such places but that to me adds to their interest.  Surely we don’t want to preserve such places in aspic!  I like the fact that at Loughcrew, you can sit on the cairns themselves, you can wander around at your leisure and absorb the atmosphere.  You don’t have to pay to visit them and you can spend as long as you like there.  Rather a different visitor experience from that at Newgrange, where visitor access is tightly controlled and there is not the same freedom to explore (in my opinion anyway) as there is at Loughcrew.  But which is the best way?  Is there a risk of damaging our heritage by allowing these places to be so open?

Now I do believe everyone should visit Newgrange, it is quite simply breathtaking.  But it is not as accessible in some ways as Monasterboice, Loughcrew or Tara.  And that leads me back to my earlier wonderings – is there one best way in which to preserve, protect and experience the vast richness of our built heritage?  In his article Alfred Smyth bemoans the (and I have to agree) appalling signage at Monasterboice and Slane.  There is nothing to really give the visitor a taste of all that these sites have to teach us.  A visitor arriving at these sites with little or no prior knowledge would in all likelihood leave in the same state, unless they are accompanied by a guide who knows something of the history of what they are seeing.  Is this really the visitor experience we want people to have?  Yes, it is vital we protect and preserve our heritage – if not it simply will not survive – but we also need to celebrate it.  Our heritage needs to speak to the 21st century and beyond.

So, what do you think?  We want to show people the richness of heritage and natural beauty that our part of the world has to offer.  Are we right to champion unfettered access  – but with vastly improved signage and information! – or should we go for a more controlled approach?  We’re keen to hear what you think, so its over to you.

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