Claire Cave
- Tuesday, February 10, 2026
- 10:30 – 12:30
- Newtownpark Pastoral Centre (map)
Claire Cave is a lecturer in World Heritage Management at University College Dublin, where she teaches on the identification, protection and management of cultural and natural heritage. She has been closely involved in World Heritage policy and practice in Ireland and is a member of the World Heritage Technical Advisory Group to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Claire is co-editor of the book 50 Years of the World Heritage Convention: Shared Responsibility, Conflict & Reconciliation and has worked on national and international projects related to nature, culture and conservation.
Claire will address what it really means when a place is described as a World Heritage Site? How do sites achieve this status, and what responsibilities come with it?
This talk will explore how the UNESCO World Heritage system works, from the global ideals behind it to the practical realities of identifying, nominating and managing such acclaimed heritage sites on the ground. Using international and Irish examples such as Brú na Bóinne and Skellig Michael, the seminar will explain how sites are nominated, why they are inscribed, and what happens after they achieve World Heritage status.
The presentation will also reflect on Ireland’s place within the global World Heritage system and consider some of the contemporary challenges facing World Heritage today, including development, tourism pressures and climate change.
