Images: courtesy Mary Anthony, 1772 Foundation

An Taisce is delighted to share an exciting development in our historic properties work — and the international momentum building behind it.

This spring, Mary Anthony, seconded to An Taisce from the 1772 Foundation, led two study trips for American historic preservation practitioners as part of the Foundation's Advisor Exchange Program. The trips — one to Ireland in May, and one to London and Amsterdam in June — were designed to connect practitioners across borders, exchange strategies, and deepen the international network around historic properties redevelopment.

The Ireland trip brought Lauren McHale and Katie Williams of L'Enfant Trust to Dublin, the Aran Islands, Belfast, and County Wicklow — including a visit to Inis Meáin to see Teach Synge, the featured property in An Taisce's 2027 World Monuments Watch nomination for the Stone Thatched Cottages of the Gaeltacht. They had a tour of Malahide Castle with Matt McNulty, Former Director of Failte Ireland during their time in Dublin (see below photo) and visited Hearth Historic Buildings Trust in Belfast, a long-serving building preservation trust in Northern Ireland with a mission to rescue modest historic buildings under threat.

A gathering of Dublin Heritage Professionals at Irish Landmark Trust (banner image) gave the group an opportunity to share their revolving fund and easement experience with local practitioners — exactly the kind of cross-pollination this programme is built for.

The London and Amsterdam trip brought Myrick Howard, Kim Trent, Kathy Kottaridis, and Emily Hopkins to meet with The Spitalfields Trust, the Architectural Heritage Fund, The Culture Trust of Luton, Stadsherstel Amsterdam, NRF Restauratiefonds, and Cultuurfonds — some of Europe's most accomplished revolving fund and heritage regeneration programmes.

These trips are directly connected to the new Historic Properties Revolving Fund Programme that Mary is helping An Taisce develop — a programme that will bring this proven model to Ireland's most at-risk built heritage.

The learning, relationships, and strategies gathered on these trips are helping to shape what that programme can become.

An Taisce is very grateful to the 1772 Foundation for their partnership and to Mary for her fantastic leadership in building these connections.

The future of Ireland's historic properties is strengthened by this kind of international collaboration.