NATIONAL HERITAGE WEEK EVENT GUIDE UNVEILED
OVER 1000 FREE HERITAGE EVENTS PLANNED AROUND THE COUNTRY
Monday 20th July 2009: Details of up to 1000 events taking place across the country were unveiled today at the launch of the National Heritage Week Event Guide by the Heritage Council. Now in its 19th year, National Heritage Week which runs from 22nd – 30th August, is a celebration of Irish natural and cultural heritage.
Ryan Tubridy was today announced as Ambassador for this year’s National Heritage Week. Speaking at the launch, Ryan said, “National Heritage week makes sense now more than ever. In tough times, it is right that we look at what is best about this country and where better to start than with heritage? Sometimes we take for granted the quality and depth of our past and National Heritage Week addresses that with appropriate gusto!” ”
Every county in Ireland will host free events during National Heritage Week that will be suitable for young and old who want to get out and experience different parts of Ireland’s heritage. The message from the Heritage Council this year is to, take part in it, it’s part of you. The National Heritage Week Event Guide contains a full list of events taking place across the country. Just some of the events which people can get involved in this year include;
- Attend a commemoration of the World’s First Motoring Fatality – Mary Ward who died in Birr in 1869.
- Taking part in the All-Ireland Sean-Nós Dancing Competition in Co. Meath.
- Attending a surfing exhibition celebrating the world class waves at the Cliffs of Moher and the riders that surf them.
- Visiting Berkeley Costume & Toy Museum in Co. Wexford for a tour of rare antique 18th & 19th Century toys.
- Touching some slimy underwater creatures in the Touch Tanks at Lough Hyne Marine Nature Reserve, West Cork.
- Getting up close and personal with the Waterford Bilberry Goats who have lived in the city for over 400 years and are the only ones that can be found in the world.
- Attending a seminar on Archaeological Excavations and Findings on National Roads in Dublin eon pie and learning about food from the Middle Ages in Kerry County Museum.
- Rediscovering our grandmother’s remedies and traditional cures for ailments handed down through the years at Ballyhugh House in Co. Cavan.
- Taking part in a re-enactment and display of the original wake room at The Cosy Thatch in Kilmeaden, Co, Waterford.
- Viewing the artistic and medical treasures of the Royal College of Physicians.
- Attending an exhibition commemorating the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 100th anniversary of the first Clare Island Survey in the Royal Irish Academy.
- Bringing the hidden treasures in your attic to be valued at the Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre.
- Attending a free lecture on the Social Changes in East Limerick during the 19th Century
- Touring Dublin’s only Surviving Guild Hall.
A full list of all events taking place during the week is available on www.heritageweek.ie .
Speaking on the launch of this years’ National Heritage Week, Chairman of the Heritage Council, Conor Newman commented that, “the growth and development of National Heritage Week demonstrates an enduring interest in Irish heritage and tells us something about the importance to our economy and to our well being of this sector. While heritage is, to an extent, immune to the vicissitudes of global economics, it can also immunize us against the worst excesses of globalisation by reminding us what is of enduring value. We have a lot to celebrate. We live in a beautiful country; we have a distinct island identity, strong traditions and a warm welcome for tourists”.
“Visitors to Ireland, as well as the Irish people want to experience that which sets us apart, in other words our heritage, past and present. National Heritage Week showcases our heritage in the most accessible and interactive way possible, reaching a very wide audience”, added Newman.
Copies of the National Heritage Week Event Guide will be available free at OPW Sites, Heritage Centres & Historical Societies, Failte Ireland Tourist Offices, Libraries, CNCI Members, NPWS Sites, Heritage Officers and County Councils, An Oige Hostels, Various Individual, Museums (MSPI Participants), Bus Eireann Stations and 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.
National 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 40 countries across Europe.
Further information:
Michelle Guinan, MKC Communications, 01 7038604 / 086 3846630
Isabell Smyth, Head of Communications & Education, The Heritage Council, 087 967 6889