Email: padraigmeehan@gmx.com
Pillar: Community
Address: Lugnagal, Glencar, Co. Sligo, F91 T1X4
This group was formed in recognition of the threats to the unique Neolithic monuments and landscapes of county Sligo. In international terms – with respect to diversity, number of sites, quality of preservation, coherence and landscape contexts – the Neolithic heritage of County Sligo has few counterparts in the world. A critically significant part of this picture is the existence of the two large passage tomb clusters of Cúil Irra and Carrowkeel-Keashcorran and many connected Neolithic sites, over 80 monuments. This prehistoric landscape was a powerful focus in the Neolithic world of this island and beyond, unique for its spectacular range and number of Neolithic sites and their relationship to the surrounding landscape. This fabric of landscape and heritage is fragile and easily damaged. A number of key Sligo sites are under grave existential threat as a direct result of mass tourism and development. The active implementation of a long-term conservation strategy for the Neolithic Heritage of Sligo is urgently required. The members of the PPN group are professionals from the interest fields of archaeology, history, heritage, as well as key representatives from farming and the local community. The group therefore has expertise in archaeology in all its facets; specialised academic and research skill set around megalithic sites and landscapes; collective experience in the tourism industry; digital campaigning expertise; mountain guide qualifications, heritage and tourism guides and community collaboration experience. We are united by a passion and curiosity and an awareness of the value of these ancient resources. Aims
- To raise awareness of damage or potential threats to the Neolithic monuments in County Sligo.
- To enthuse and inform the people of County Sligo on their unique inheritance.
- To bring together a larger, wider based group, to support the sustainable tourism potential of Sligo as part of an integrated long-term plan.
- To create a stable, well-informed, long-term sustainable plan for the preservation and communication of Sligo’s Neolithic heritage.