Prince Charles Says NI Heritage "At A Crossroads"

The Prince of Wales has invoked historical precedent and said Northern Ireland stands at "a crossroads".

During His Royal Highness's two-day visit to the Province he said the country must determine whether it will commit itself to preserving places with architectural heritage or completely abandon them.

In an apparently unintentional echo of the very last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Captain Terence O'Neill's watershed speech - which marked the beginning of the Troubles - when he said: "Ulster stands at a crossroads, What kind of Ulster do you want? A happy, respected province ... or a place continually torn apart by riots and demonstrations?" the heir to the throne yesterday addressed leading civil servants, developers, conservationists and politicians on a different subject.

Rather than addressing a rapidly escalating process of revolutionary politics - as in 1969 - he instead spoke passionately about his vision of a Northern Ireland that recognises the value of its historic buildings.

Also, this royal visit - the second inside a week - must again be seen as a precursor to a visit to the Irish Republic by the Monarch - which has been much debated as a the final part in a 'peace jigsaw'.

However, members of the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society were less worried about the bigger 'political picture' and more about the Prince's real intrerest in architecture.

They praised his speech, and claimed 470 of Ulster's most historic buildings are currently under threat of destruction.

A Society research officer said the Prince managed to avoid stepping into the constitutional minefield of addressing enforcement laws, and struck a positive tone with regards to the future of the Province.

Rita Harkin said: "Enforcement is the litmus test and, despite the assurances, we are not seeing enough rigorous enforcement from the department when protected buildings are destroyed."

"Prince Charles looked to the future, emphasising that just as we are what we eat, we are what we are surrounded by," said Ms Harkin.

His Royal Highness pleaded with the group of experts at yesterday's meeting to respect the "dedication, skill and commitment of our forebears".

"We owe it to them, the unsung craftsmen and women, to honour their memory and to convert and reuse the legacy they have left us," the Prince said.

Prince Charles, who cited south Belfast's Gas Works as a leading example of maintaining heritage, impressed delegates, who listened intently to his speech, which was followed by David Ferguson, the Department of Social Development's Deputy Secretary for Regeneration, who said, positively: "The prince was trying to get a sense of where everyone came from."

Meanwhile, the founder of Londonderry's Verbal Arts, Dr Sam Burnside, brought the importance of the city's walls to the Prince's attention.

"He said that he understood their significance and I was also telling him about the importance of heritage in adult education," said Dr Burnside.

Prince Charles, along with his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will conclude their visit to the Province with a number of engagements today.

See: Is Queen Next For Republic As Paisley Crosses The Boyne?

See: Royal Visit Food 'Specially Selected'

(PR/JM)(BMcC)