Our top must-see events list for Heritage week 2021!
National Heritage Week 2021 is finally here and we’re so excited to see the events and programme planned for this year! Running from August 14th to the 22nd, Heritage week is a celebration that brings together communities, families, organisations, cultural institutions, academics and enthusiasts, to build awareness about the value of heritage and support its conservation.
Coordinated by the Heritage Council, over 800 heritage projects were organised and shared on the National Heritage Week website last year, so we’re sure this year will have even more on offer.
We’ve picked out some of the best events on offer so far to give you just a taste of what’s available this year. See our selections below and head to HeritageWeek.ie to check out what’s happening near you!
Lost Prisons of Dublin Walking Tour (South) with Brian Crowley (Office of Public Works) Dublin City
Dublin has been home to numerous prisons and gaols over the centuries. In this special Heritage Week event arranged by the OPW, the Collections Curator of Kilmainham Gaol Museum, Brian Crowley, will lead a walking tour visiting the sites of six former prisons on the south side of the city. A separate tour of north side prisons is also available. The tours will be run at 10am on Thursday and Friday, 19th and 20th August.
Places are limited so participants must register in advance and they will be provided with details of where to meet and the latest information regarding Covid-19 protocols for outdoor guided tours.
Béaloideas with Róisín McNally The Workhouse, Dunfanaghy, Co. Donegal
For Heritage Week, the Dunfanaghy Workhouse will have some readings of some of their most popular stories for children and adults. They will have three storytelling times for children at 11am, 1pm and 4pm, reading aloud some of our most popular Irish myths, and have another reading in the evening at 6pm for adults of an exert from the Táin Bó Cuailgne. Oral tradition of storytelling for all ages. Bookings are required for all the readings. €2 per child for the Children's readings, €5 for the adults with free tea and coffee.
Dive Footage from La Trinidad Valencera with Rosemarie Moulden, Inishowen Maritime Museum, Co. Donegal
This year being the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the wreck of La Trinidad Valencera at Kinneago Bay, Inishowen Maritime Museum are working with the Ulster Museum to bring some of the artefacts from the wreck back on loan to Inishowen this winter. The footage being projected at the museum on Friday 20th Aug at 2pm will show some of the items being recovered from the wreck 50 years ago by local divers – which sounds pretty cool to us!
Wild Child Treasure Hunt for Ballyboughal Bugs and Blooms with Ann Lynch, Ballyboughal Hedgerow Society, Co. Dublin – Fingal
Follow Mainscourt's Hedges and Woods to find treasure in the shrubs and flowers. You will explore the local biodiversity and do some bush craft making hats with leaves and branches or bring your own hat to decorate.
This project is part of a plan to create a sign with Wild Flower Food Plants for butterflies, moths and bees in Ballyboughal. It is important to cherish our biodiversity and this event links in with Fingal County Council's new Biodiversity Local Plan initiative.
The gory history of the Barber Surgeon with Dolores McGovern, The Office of Public Works, Co. Meath
Delve into the gory practices of the Barber Surgeon in the 17th Century in this free talk at the Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre. Please contact the event organisers for the latest information regarding COVID-19 safety measures and to register for this event.
Free Tours of King House with Patricia Golden, Roscommon County Council, Co. Roscommon
King House is a restored Georgian mansion in Boyle. It is a unique visitor centre that not only tells the story of this important house as a home to the King family and later a barracks to the Connaught Rangers, but also displays important cultural collections and Irish history exhibitions.
A tour of King House is a walk through over 400 years of Irish history. You will find welcoming staff that are very passionate about the history of King House and Boyle and are on hand to guide you through the house in a fun, informative way. A tour of the house will take you approximately 60 minutes, but most people stay for much longer as they explore this unique exhibition.
McCarthy Mausoleum Conservation, Ballingarry, Co Limerick with Emer O'Regan, Ballingarry Development Association, Co. Limerick
Join a guide to see the mausoleum where seven brothers are interred, visit the grave of the last man killed in a duel in Limerick, learn why the daughter of a Liverpool Bishop is buried here and hear stories from our local guides about society, famine and prosperity.
Daily Guided tours of Scattery Island OPW Scattery Island Visitor Centre, Co. Clare
Guided tours of Saint Senan's 6th century monastic settlement including the famous high round tower, ruins of 6 churches and holy well. Learn about the island's rich history, heritage and folklore.
Check out all of these and many more on HeritageWeek.ie!
