Hurling could join tango on UN list of cultural treasures

Hurling, uilleann pipes and a collection of Irish folklore could be in line for special international recognition of their heritage value.

Following Ireland’s formal ratification of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the way has been cleared for formal applications to have them added to a growing list of global customs and practices.

Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Minister Heather Humphreys said keen interest has been expressed in seeking this recognition by the GAA, Na Píobairí Uilleann and by University College Dublin’s Folklore Collection.

“I believe that the inclusion of hurling, believed to be the world’s oldest field game, on the UNESCO list will demonstrate how a vibrant, community-based craft practice, which is upheld by a dedicated group of people on this island, can be shared with all communities and individuals from across the world,” she said.

The national folklore collection at UCD is one of the world’s largest, containing books and manuscripts, audio and video recordings, photographs, drawings and paintings, all dealing with Irish life, culture and folk history.

The uilleann pipes are believed to have first been played around 300 years ago, developing in style and form through the following century. But they were almost consigned to history until the cultural revival began in the late 1800s.

Their playing received another reprieve from extinction by the formation in 1968 of Na Píobairí Uilleann, whose main aims include the continuation of pipes being made and played.

The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity is made up of heritage elements from around the world and demonstrates their diversity, as well as raising awareness of their importance.

Among almost 400 heritage elements added to the list in recent years are:

• Mongolian knuckle-bone shooting
• the smoke saunas of Estonia’s Võro community
• Tango dancing in Argentina and Uruguay
• The whistled language of La Gomera, Canary Islands
• The traditional craft of making Xuan paper in China
• Aka pygmies’ polyphonic singing in Central Africa

In order to seek addition to the list, a detailed case will have to be made by the GAA, Na Píobairí Uilleann and UCD Folklore Collection for submission by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to UNESCO before the end of March 2016. The process continues until the end of 2017, when a decision for inclusions on the list would be made.

“I wish each of the organisations well with their applications, and my department is happy to assist with the process in any way it can,” Ms Humphreys said.