Heritage Council Podcast Series

Our podcasts this year will explore a broad overview of the multi-layered experiences which encompass Ireland’s past. These podcasts will also put into context how this sense of heritage is all part of our collective experience, and why so much of what went before, still resonates in the present.

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Episode 14- National Heritage Week 2021

Over the past 16 years, National Heritage Week has been a focal point, bringing together communities and people across the country. It is now one of the most significant dates in Ireland’s cultural calendar.

Episode 13- The National Biodiversity Data Centre

The Heritage Council established the National Biodiversity Data Centre in 2007. In today’s podcast, we speak to Dr Liam Lysaght, Director of the Data Centre, as he explains why it was established and the strategic importance of its work.

Episode 12- Local Authority Heritage Officer Programme

Heritage officers play a key role in promoting awareness, pride and conservation for biodiversity and heritage. Hear all about their work in today's podcast.

Episode 11- Ireland’s Irish Walled Towns Network

Irish towns – steeped in history and with stories going back centuries - are embedded in the Irish folk memory. In order to preserve this vital part of our ancient past, the Irish Walled Towns Network (IWTN) was established by the Heritage Council in 2005. It exists to help these urban centres become better places to live, work and visit.

Episode 10- Historic Towns Initiative: Community-led regeneration of a county town

In today’s podcast we travel to Tralee – and hear how the town has been revitalised by a communal coming together to protect its past.

Episode 9: Ireland’s Historic Towns Initiative

Every street corner, every meandering alleyway, every old shop façade tells its own story. Our streetscapes are woven into the heart of Irish life – and are a crucial part for our heritage. In today’s podcast, Ian Doyle, Head of Conservation with The Heritage Council, explains the key components of the Historic Towns Initiative, a joint initiative between the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the Heritage Council.

Episode 8- Heritage Maps: A Pathway Into Our Past

Heritagemaps.ie – overseen by Project Manager Pat Reid – is currently working on a range of projects, such as tracking the history of Irish lace and Irish stained glass and how a recent mapping project in Ireland went viral around the world.

Episdode 7: St Patrick’s Influence on Celtic Christianity

In this special podcast linked to our national holiday, we speak with Sarah Myers, a Heritage in Schools specialist and tour guide at Kilkenny’s St Canice’s Cathedral.

Episode 6: Folklore and St Patrick

In the first of two special podcasts linked to our national holiday, Heritage in Schools specialist and storyteller, Seosamh Ó Maolalaí, expands on some of the fascinating folklore surrounding the patron saint of Ireland.

Episode 5: Global Warning: Ireland’s Youth And The Fight Against Climate Change

In today’s podcast, we speak with three third-level environmental activists. They played a central role in an ambitious campaign to eliminate the sale and use of single-use plastics on the campus of Trinity College Dublin.

Episode 4: When The Lights Went On: The Story of Rural Electrification In Ireland

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Rural Electrification Scheme, one of the greatest social and economic developments in 20th century Ireland.

Episode 3- ‘A Penny Goes A Long Way: The Changing Face of Irish Coinage’

On today’s podcast, we mark the 50th anniversary of the introduction of decimalisation in Ireland and chart the long and varied story of money and coinage in Ireland.

Episode 2 - Busy as a Bee - The Battle To Protect Our Pollinators

Pollination is crucial in maintaining the quality of our food supplies. Caring for pollinators is also of economic importance to our farmers, while protecting environmental health.

Episode 1: International day of women and girls in science

In this episode – to mark International Day of Women and Girls in Science – we’re speaking with Huge Tinney, whose mother Sheila was the first Irish woman to earn a PhD in mathematical science.