Introduction

In 1994, the founder of Landscape Alliance Ireland, Terry O'Regan, called for a National Landscape Forum to facilitate open discussion and debate on landscape policy, quality and management. He went on, with Landscape Alliance Ireland, to convene a unique series of National Landscape Fora over the period 1995-1999.

At the end of each Forum, delegates urged the organisers to bring the deliberations of these gatherings to the widest possible audience. The publication of the proceedings of the '95, '96 and '97 Fora went some way towards achieving this objective, though limited by lack of resources for publicity and distribution.

In publishing the proceedings on the world-wide-web we really respond to that call.

The proceedings largely, though not exclusively relate to landscape quality in an Irish context.
However it will be obvious to the reader who substitutes their own landscape context that landscape quality is a universal issue with the same challenges, problems and solutions worldwide.

We begin with the previously unpublished proceedings of the 1998 Landscape Forum, which we believe marked a turning point in the recognition of the landscape way in Ireland. This unique event,
with over fifty presentations will be published on the web in instalments, to be followed by the proceedings of the 1999 Landscape Forum and the unique Artists and Landscape Project.

At a later date we will feature instalments from the previously published National Landscape Fora
proceedings of '95, '96 and '97.

The proceedings of the '98 and '99 Landscape Fora will also be available in unabridged book format.