This free online half-day seminar will commence at 10am with an opening address and launch of Disaster: A guide to prevention and preparedness in the historic built environment by Minister Malcolm Noonan T.D. Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, which is the launch of the latest volume in the Advice Series of publications for those responsible for the care and conservation of historic buildings

The ministerial launch will be followed by a number of short presentations to include the following speakers: Margaret Quinlan, FRIAI (keynote speaker and Advice Series author); Paul Collins, Ecclesiastical Insurance Office plc (consideration for insuring historic buildings); Helena Bergin, Architectural Conservation Officer, Fingal County Council (climate vulnerability assessments); and case studies by Alicia Parsons (Birr Castle) and Gavan Woods (St. Patrick’s Cathedral).

The purpose of the seminar is to help owners and custodians of an historic property, where possible, to prevent or reduce the risk of disaster striking their property by fire, floods, storms, lightening strikes or vandalism, and to lessen the damage caused should disaster occur. The seminar will outline how an owner can produce a disaster risk management plan (or ‘Disaster Plan’), a simple document setting out sensible measures to minimise the likelihood of an emergency and to reduce the extent of damage and loss should it occur.

This seminar will be of benefit to both the historic homeowner and architects, engineers and other building professionals charged with the care of historic buildings. CPD certs will be issued to all attendees.

This seminar is delivered by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in association with the Irish Georgian Society, Centre for the Study of Historic Irish Houses and Estates and Ecclesiastical Insurance.

The seminar will be delivered through Zoom. Subscribers will be sent the Zoom link by close of business the day previous to the seminar.