For many years, the Irish State has had the role of both owning and operating the majority of heritage sites and resources in Ireland. However, with the dramatic growth in the range and variety of heritage phenomena requiring protection over recent years, the State has found its resources under increasing pressure and has begun to explore the possibility of building a partnership structure to manage more of the country's heritage better. This article seeks to clarify the options available to government by outlining the policy tools available and attempting to map these onto the governmental, agency and trust structures that might form the elements of a partnership. It concludes that the optimal role for government is one of strategic coordination, that provision of information is the tool best suited to this purpose, and that ownership and operation should be devolved to local government, agencies and trusts.