Dúchas

{{short description|Former Irish State agency}} {{about|the former government agency|the folklore website|dúchas.ie}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{primary sources|date=October 2007}} '''Dúchas''', sometimes Dúchas: The Heritage Service, was an [[executive agency]] of the [[Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands]] of the [[Government of Ireland]] responsible for [[Heritage management]], including: * natural heritage (including responsibility for the management of national parks and wildlife) * built heritage (including [[National Monument (Ireland)|national monuments]] and historic properties).

The agency was established under the Heritage Act 1995 and abolished in 2003 after coming under criticism for restricting development.<ref name="Irish"> {{cite news | url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-24661092.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911125146/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-24661092.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=11 September 2016 | title=Days of the Heritage Service are numbered | newspaper=Irish Times | year=2003 | accessdate=12 August 2016 | url-access=}}</ref> Its status as an executive agency gave it no separate legal existence and it could be easily abolished without [[primary legislation]], although the abolition was not without controversy.<ref>{{cite news |author-link=Frank McDonald (journalist) |last1=McDonald|first1=Frank |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924191323/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-24680016.html |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-24680016.html |url-status=dead |archive-date= 24 September 2015 |title= Break-up of Duchas 'may be unlawful' |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |date=April 2003 |url-access= |access-date=29 December 2012}}</ref> Natural heritage has since been protected by the [[National Parks and Wildlife Service (Ireland)|National Parks and Wildlife Service]] (initially under the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government). Some other functions, such as the protection of historic monuments, reverted to being part of the [[Office of Public Works]].

Since 2020, built and natural heritage have been under the remit of the [[Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage]].

==References== {{reflist}}

== External links == * [https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/?referrer=http://www.housing.gov.ie/ Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage] * [https://npws.ie/ National Parks & Wildlife Service] * [http://www.opw.ie Office of Public Works] {{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duchas}} [[Category:Defunct government agencies of Ireland]] [[Category:1995 establishments in Ireland]] [[Category:2003 disestablishments in Ireland]]