The Bend of the Boyne, or Brú na Bóinne, has been an important ritual, social and economic centre for thousands of years. Internationally renowned for its elaborate Neolithic passage tombs, and containing the largest assemblage of megalithic art in Europe, its universal value was recognised in 1993 when it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Property, only one of three on the island of Ireland. In 2009 The Heritage Council, in collaboration with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, published a research framework for Brú na Bóinne re-assessing key priorities and looking at where future research should be directed.