Special tax category for historic homes

One man’s blessing is another man’s curse. Some might feel that owning a heritage structure can be a bit of thorn in the side, but it can actually give you your livelihood — if you’ve ever been to Powerscourt House in Wicklow on a sunny summer Sunday you can hardly get in the gate with the droves of people flocking to appreciate some of Ireland’s heritage.

There are a whole series of measures designed to protect Ireland’s heritage — everything from REPS plans marking out special areas of conservation, the National Parks and Wildlife Service classifying places as a national heritage areas, the classification of certain buildings as protected structures under the Planning and Development Act, the National Monuments Service and the Heritage Council of Ireland.

Indeed, we have our own Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht under whose auspice matters of care of Ireland’s heritage are addressed. These measures and bodies are there to protect our heritage and our history for the benefit of our peoples now and in the future, the history of these places is older that you and I, and it’s fair to see why this should be protected for current and future generations.