Heritage is about more than flags or old buildings

Our heritage is found not only in old castles but in ordinary people's voices and in the fragile documents that connect us to previous generations. We must work to preserve them, writes Virginia Teehan, CEO of the Heritage Council

Tricolours in Dublin last month. The city council expressed concerns about their erection by anti-immigration campaigners. Heritage, like our tricolour, speaks to inclusivity. Photo: Leah Farrell/© RollingNews.ie

The meaning and use of Ireland’s national flag is in the spotlight. One positive that can be taken from this is that it is causing all of us to reflect on it, and what it represents. 

Like the Presidential election campaign, these moments cause us to take stock of what it means to be Irish, and what our heritage means.