The Heritage Council Annual Report 2002

efers in its document to a Museums Agency with clear articulation of its role vis a vis
the Heritage Council itself. The Policy document will be published in 2003.
The importance of this proposal to the Local Authority museums is paramount in
establishing vision and purpose to guide development in to the future. The definition
of museum used in the policy framework allows however the widest possible
participation in the process.
Report on Human Remains in Irish Archaeology
The 1990s witnessed a three-fold increase in the number of excavations on burial sites
in Ireland, resulting from conservation works to historic churches, urban renewal
works in the form of housing or retail developments, and infrastructure developments
in the form of road-building and main drainage schemes. In addition, disused
churches and their burial grounds – especially Church of Ireland buildings – are being
re-developed for other purposes in increasing numbers. In order to assess the
implications of this a study on all aspects of human remains in Irish Archaeology was
commissioned by the Heritage Council in March 1999. This was conducted by
Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division (GUARD) with the Law
Department, University College Cork. The study was wide-ranging and consultative,
taking full account of the law, planning and development issues, public feeling and
the aspirations of the archaeological community. A first full draft was completed early
in 2000 and was subsequently widely reviewed. The results and recommendations of
this report should be considered in drafting future policy recommendations in this
area.
Overall, where the archaeology of human remains is concerned, a sea change in
attitude, practice and policy is needed. A wide range of measures would be required to
bring this in to being. These would address planning procedures and public
consultations, site identification and testing, and design solutions for avoidance or
mitigation. These measures are wholly justified by the special consideration due to
human remains, by the unusual degree of public feeling which can be aroused by the
excavation and disposal of human remains, and by the unusually high costs and delays
to development which can often arise.