ABSTRACT
History and tradition are very important in Ireland. Her peoples have long memories for certain aspects of their past, some would say too long given the legacy of contemporary conflict arising out of past events. Ireland's non-material historical legacy is not all tainted by political controversy. In music, sport, literature, drama, broadcasting and many other fields, representatives of the few million people from this small island have played a disproportionately significant role and Ireland has a splendid cultural life stemming from its ancient traditions. Pressure for National Parks in Great Britain began then and they were proposed for Northern Ireland in the report, The Ulster Countryside in 1947, as were areas of special control, nature reserves and field museums. In Northern Ireland as late as 1968 the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 'claimed with some justice that the approach to conservation of the built environment was fifty years behind the times.
