National Heritage Week Event Award Winners 2011 Awards Presentation
Well done to the 2011 National Heritage Week Event Award Winners who were recognised by the Heritage Council at an awards presentation on February 9th 2012 for their wonderful work during Heritage Week last year.
The award for Best Interactive Event and Best Overall Event went to the Tyrrellspass Festival Committee for their Tyrrellspass Festival. This was the first time the festival was held and the objective was to highlight the vast heritage that Tyrrellspass has to offer by creating a community family event incorporating as many elements of the heritage of Tyrrellspass as possible. The 600 year-old castle which was opened for the first time in many years gave a strong medieval theme and provided a foundation for tours, talks and walks. The festival included a medieval parade, a choral evening, bee keeping, arts and crafts, photography exhibitions, bog cutting, nature walks and archaeological walks and talks. All organised on a voluntary basis, the event encouraged access to heritage that isn’t normally available and resulted in ongoing heritage accessibility, engagement and education which is a key aim for National Heritage Week.
Best Community Group/ ENGO/ Individual was awarded to the Drimoleague Heritage Walkways Committee for their special re-enactment of St. Finbarr’s Pilgrim Walk. The walk included contemplative stops featuring St Finbarr’s life and Gospel. Historical facts and stories were recounted and various topographical features in the landscape were noted. Over 100 people took part in the walk over three days and the event is an example of how National Heritage Week can be used to draw attention to local heritage and revived traditions.
The award for Most Innovative Event went to Droichead Arts Centre and the Louth Heritage Office for their event entitled ‘I Am Wall’ which saw nearly 2,500 people all wearing red t-shirts join hands along the medieval town walls of Drogheda raising awareness of the walls and of the towns medieval heritage. The event showed great originality. Its idea and execution demonstrate how a part of our heritage that has all but vanished (only 10% of the walls remain) can be brought back to life through human spirit and creativity.
The NPWS Clara Visitor Centre won the award for Best Childrens Event. Twenty five 7-12 year olds met two local NPWS Conservation Rangers, who were their mentors for the day. The children completed a treasure hunt activity in the Visitor Centre. This activity was designed to enable children to learn basic map reading skills, and to encourage them to explore and reflect upon the Centre’s interactive multimedia exhibition which explains all about the wildlife of Clara Bog. During the field trip the Mini Rangers experienced the wet and soggy nature of a living raised bog. They discovered the plants and animals that live on Clara Bog, learned how to identify a range of species and recorded their findings. The children were encouraged to use their creativity to create a wildlife scene using a mixture of natural materials and other media to form a collage. The event was an excellent example of a very well structured well thought out educational and fun event for young children introducing them to our natural heritage.
