Heritage Council

NATIONAL HERITAGE WEEK – YOUR CHANCE TO GET OUT AND EXPERIENCE THE HERITAGE ON YOUR DOORSTEP

Saturday 22nd August 2009:

Our national heritage is one of the country’s greatest assets, yet it is often taken for granted. National Heritage Week, which kicks off today, Saturday 22nd and runs until 30th August is your chance to get out and experience the heritage on your doorstep.

Over 1000 events, the majority of which are free of charge, will take place during the week long celebration of Ireland’s natural, cultural and built heritage.

Speaking at the opening of National Heritage Week in Kilkenny Castle, Heritage Council Chief Executive, Michael Starrett commented that, “in these tough times, it is more important than ever to recognise and appreciate one of Ireland’s most important assets’, our heritage. During National Heritage Week, over 250,000 people are expected to attend events across Ireland. They will experience first hand the wealth and diversity of heritage on their doorsteps”.

National Heritage Week originated as part of European Heritage Days, which is celebrated in over 49 countries across Europe. However, in Ireland, National Heritage Week is unique not only because it is a week long celebration of heritage events, but because it focuses on Ireland’s cultural, natural and built heritage.

“The aim of National Heritage Week was to create awareness of the diversity of our heritage, enabling people to experience it and get involved with it, while also making it accessible to all. We are expecting a huge turnout at the opening today in Kilkenny Castle and for attendance levels to be high at events throughout the week”, added Starrett.

Now in its 19th year, National Heritage Week is an established and very successful event on Ireland’s cultural calendar. It showcases Ireland’s heritage in the most accessible and interactive way possible, reaching a very wide audience. The testament of its success is the increasing number of events taking place each year, and the number of volunteers and organisations in every county who organise the week’s activities.

In launching National Heritage Week 2009 Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Michael Finneran, TD acknowledged the important role of the programme of events in helping to teach us that “our heritage has been formed by many cultures over time and that there is wisdom in embracing other cultures as they have embraced ours”.

‘Be part of it, it’s part of you’ is the theme of this year’s National Heritage Week. For the first time, a National Heritage Week Photo Competition has been launched and people attending events throughout the week are being asked to use their imagination, capture their heritage experiences and upload them to www.pix.ie/go/heritageweek.

Full details for all events can be found at www.heritageweek.ie.  Copies of the National Heritage Week Event Guide are also be available free at OPW Sites, Heritage Centres & Historical Societies, Fáilte Ireland Tourist Offices, Libraries, CNCI Members, NPWS Sites, Heritage Officers and County Councils, An Óige Hostels, Various Individual Museums (MSPI Participants), Bus Eireann Stations and various Hotels across the country.

National Heritage Week is co-ordinated by The Heritage Council and funded by the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, and is part of European Heritage Days, which is celebrated in over 49 countries across Europe.

ENDS

Note to Editor:

The Heritage Council is the statutory body charged with identifying, protecting, preserving and enhancing Ireland’s national heritage. National heritage includes Monuments, Archaeological objects, Heritage objects, Architectural heritage, Flora, Fauna, Wildlife habitats, Landscapes, Seascapes, Wrecks, Geology, Heritage gardens and parks, and Inland waterways.

Established under the Heritage Act 1995, and operating under the aegis of the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the Heritage Council provides advice to the Minister, and partners and networks with Local Authorities and a wide range of other organisations and individuals to promote Ireland’s heritage.

Heritage Week is co-ordinated in Ireland by the Heritage Council in conjunction with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, and is part of European Heritage Days, which is celebrated in over 49 countries across Europe.

Further information:

Michelle Guinan, MKC Communications, 086 3846630

Isabell Smyth, Head of Communications & Education, The Heritage Council,  087 967 6889