Opening Ceremony of European Heritage Days,

Dublin And Glendalough, Republic Of Ireland, 5 to 7 September 2003

The opening ceremony of this year’s European Heritage Days was held in Dublin and Glendalough, Republic of Ireland, from 5 to 7 September 2003.  Ljiljana Ševo, member of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, attended the ceremony as BiH representative.

Following registration and a press conference highlighting the importance of the event for the preservation, display and development of the education potential of the heritage, a meeting of coordinators was held on 5 September at 15.00h. 

The topic of the forum was "European Heritage Days and People with disabilities". It was chaired by Mr Eddie O'HARA, United Kingdom, MP, General Rapporteur on the Cultural Heritage, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; with presentations by Ms. Brigitte Vanderbruggen, Belgium, EHD Coordinator, Mr Esteve Mach i Bosch, EHD Coordinator, Catalunya(Spain), and other speakers Ms. Maria Calado, General Coordinator, EHD Liaison Office, Mr Daniel Thérond, Head of the Cultural Heritage Division, Council of Europe. Conclusions on the topic were given by Teresa Clarke (Ireland), Rapporteur of the Forum, EHD Coordinator.

Since Bosnia and Herzegovina did not submit a European Heritage Days programme to the Council of Europe, the BiH representative attended the ceremony not as a coordinator but as a delegate.

After a tour of Dublin Castle, the residential edifice and administrative headquarters, in which the programme of the opening ceremony was held on the first day and the morning of the second, a reception was held in the Chester Beatty Library, within Dublin Castle.

On the second day, participants met in the Conference Centre hall in Dublin Castle where, following a welcome from Mr Dermot Burke, PO, Dept. Environment Heritage & Local Government), three lectures were held on the general theme “On the margins of Europe – at the heart of the continent.”  Participants were treated to extremely interesting lectures by Prof. Barry Raftery on the coming of the Celts to Ireland, Doctor Dagmar O^’Riain-Raedel on the Irish contribution to mediaeval Europe, and Dr. Thomas O^’Connor on the Irish continental codices of the seventeenth century. The chair was Prof. Daithí O Cronín. 

The BiH representative gave Mr Dermot Burke, the host, and the Council of Europe representative Mr Daniel Teron, a package from the Commission consisting of an exhibition catalogue, a CD with a presentation of the work of the Commission, printed matter with basic details of the Commission and its operations, and material on the bridge in Višegrad, and the old forts in Stolac and Jajce.

Participants were also able to obtain another 15 catalogues of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina and 50 copies of a brief printed presentation of the Commission's work, which aroused considerable interest.

The formal opening ceremony was held at 15.00h in Glendalough, a former monastic centre in Wicklow National Park.  Participants were able to watch a performance of old crafts as a reconstruction of the monastic life in the mediaeval period (C9-12).  The opening was preceded by a short performance of indigenous music on two harps, the traditional and symbolic instruments of Ireland(More...The European Heritage Days 2003)..

Speaking at the formal launch of this year’s European Heritage Days, the Council of Europe’s Deputy General Secretary, Maud de Boer-Buljuicchio, warned of the need to protect Europe’s precious cultural heritage, which she described as a precious tool testifying to our past and helping us to build our future.

Mr Pat The Cope Gallagher, Minister at the  Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, paid tribute to the role of international cooperation in protecting the cultural heritage. Eddie O'Hara MP, General Rapporteur on the Cultural Heritage, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, spoke of the need to improve access to the cultural heritage for people with disabilities.

On the final day of the ceremony, the organizers provided participants with a cruise around Dublin Bay.

European Heritage Days, formally instituted by the Council of Europe in 1991, is an extremely important event, as illustrated by the fact that during 2002, 17,114 monuments (mainly monuments not usually open to the public) in more than 5,000 towns and cities were opened as part of European Heritage Days, attracting about 20 million visitors.

This shows how important it is for Bosnia and Herzegovina to be involved in the European Heritage Days campaign.

The Commission to Preserve National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in line with the authority as regards international cooperation conferred on it by the Presidency, should draw up a project for European Heritage Days 2004, and present it to the relevant state institutions and the Council of Europe, to ensure that Bosnia and Herzegovina takes part in a fitting manner in the campaign next year.