Clare based company to host historic conference in local village
RESTORING some of Ireland’s most historic buildings is the focus of a one-day, Clare based conference.
Burren-based Irish Natural Stone (INStone), the company responsible for delivering the Irish Hunger Memorial in New York City, is hosting a daylong conference in Boston, a village in North Clare, on Wednesday, September 6.
The aim is to drive investment and support to conserve and restore the following historic buildings: Four Courts in Dublin, St. Mel's Cathedral in Longford, St. John’s Cathedral in Limerick, the O'Connell Monument in Ennis, the Irish Cultural and Learning Foundation in Phoenix (USA) and Hope House in Bath (UK).
The inaugural National INStone Symposium will feature keynote addresses from a range of experts, including: Dr. Patrick Wyse Jackson, Associate Professor of Geology at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Barry O’Reilly of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and many more.
Organiser Frank McCormack, Founder and Director of Irish Natural Stone, said a key focus of next week’s conference will be to highlight the urgent need to educate public bodies about bringing derelict buildings back into use in a “proper and correct manner, with sensitivity towards their heritage aspect, using natural materials.”
“All stakeholders involved in the preservation of our Built Heritage need to know and understand about what natural materials should be used and their appropriate application, whilst ensuring best conservation practice is adhered to and achieved,” Mr McCormack said.
“A standardised national quality rating and assessment process should be introduced so that local authority and public bodies can better understand the process of properly conserving and restoring old buildings, from the methods of construction adopted to the appropriately specified materials.”
Other speakers include INStone’s Jamie Forde, MCIOB Building Surveyor, and also INStone’s Colin Grehan, Lead Sculptor who will provide a special presentation on ‘The Intricate Hand-Carving of the Replacement Four Courts Capitals’.
An open questions and answers session will be chaired by Dr Brendan Dunford of Burrenbeo Trust at the close of the conference.