The Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, is to engage consultants to examine the issue of establishing a "trust-type organisation" to acquire and manage heritage properties in the State.
In a statement issued to coincide with an invitation to tender for the study, he said such a trust would seek to put in place a "sustainable arrangement" to protect Ireland's remaining great houses and other heritage properties, including those in private ownership.
"The need for a trust to support and maintain major heritage properties is widely acknowledged," Mr Cullen said.
"The process which I am setting in train today will inform me of how we can best establish such a trust and what role it should have."
The study would also examine what other measures may be necessary to facilitate the work of the trust - for example, tax incentives or other economic instruments - and to "quantify the impact on the Exchequer" of any such tax breaks.
"For both good and ill, the 'Big House' has played an important role in Irish history.
"The preservation of our remaining stock of great houses should be both a recognition of that role and a celebration of the architectural achievement and craftsmanship of the people who constructed them," the Minister said.
He noted the recent publication of a study on the future of Irish historic houses, sponsored by his Department and the Irish Georgian Society, had pointed out that the financial burden of day-to-day maintenance, conservation and restoration of historic houses is now a major problem for many owners.
Dr Terence Dooley's study, A Future for Irish Historic Houses?
