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SECOND EPCL "WESTERN SEA-BOARD" SUB-GROUP MEETING
TULLAMORE, IRELAND, 28-30 JANUARY 2002
TULLAMORE DEW OLD DISTILLERY CONFERENCE CENTRE
At the first of the six EPCL Seminars, in Lancaster in May 2002, members of the projects in England, Wales and Ireland decided to meet as a small EPCL sub-group in the intervals between the Seminars, to exchange ideas and discuss common issues, and to study each other's project areas. A first “Western Sea-Board” sub-group meeting took place in Bangor, Wales on 19-20 July 2001, and visited the Arfon project area, as well as discussing wider issues such as the choice of the project's logo and the scope and shape of the book that will be one of EPCL's main products.
The second meeting of this small sub-group was organised by Charles Mount of Heritage Council of Ireland, and took place at Tullamore in Ireland on 28-30 January 2002. A day was spent examining the sites and landscape of the Dowris project, notably the peat extraction and bog landscape of the infilled prehistoric lake of Lough Boora, and early Christian and medieval sites such as Clonmacnois and Monaincha.
The sub-group's meeting was arranged to coincide with one of the regular meetings of Heritage Officers from Ireland's County Council. Heritage Officers have a wide responsibility at local level for archaeology, historic buildings, countryside and ecological conservation, but the cultural landscape and Historic Landscape Characterisation is a relatively new subject to them. During the course of a day's discussion on the topic, chaired and facilitated by Charles Mount, EPCL members presented various aspects of the project and of wider issues such as the European Landscape Convention:- Graham Fairclough spoke of the philosophy of Historic Landscape Characterisation, the English HLC programme and the Convention;
- John Darlington and Joanna Clark on the practice and application of HLC in Lancashire;
- Gerhard Ermischer described the EPCL Spessart project, particularly its use of GIS and its engagement with the public;
- Eoin Grogan discussed the work of the Dowris project, particularly its use of GIS and characterisation, and
- Dafyd Gwyn explored from a Welsh perspective the less material aspect of landscape, primarily its cultural associations.
The meeting's discussions about how Historic Landscape Characterisation and similar techniques can be used for conservation, planning and managing change will make valuable contributions to the progress of the EPCL programme as a whole.
Graham Fairclough
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