STILL TIME TO ENJOY NATIONAL HERITAGE WEEK WHICH RUNS UNTIL SUNDAY 28TH AUGUST
Thursday 25th August 2011: There is still time to take part in National Heritage Week as hundreds of events are scheduled to take place over the weekend. The advice from the Heritage Council, coordinators of the week, is to contact event organisers in advance to see if booking is required. Many events are filling up quickly, so to avoid disappointment check if there is availability before you attend any events this weekend.
Over 1400 events were registered to take place during National Heritage Week which runs until Sunday 28th August. The majority of events are free to attend. For a full list of events in your area over the next few days, log on www.heritageweek.ie or download the free Heritage Week iPhone App to search by date, location, event type or keyword.
Speaking as the week approaches its final weekend, Michael Starrett, CEO of the Heritage Council said, “National Heritage Week has been a fantastic success this year. We have seen a record number of events taking place during the week and have reports of extremely high attendance levels at events nationwide”.
Just some of the events which people can still get involved in over the next few days are listed below. To avoid disappointment contact event organisers to check if booking is required.
- Meath – Feis Teamhra: A Turn at Tara (Free) 28th August 15:00 -17:00. Hill of Tara, Co. Meath. Poet Paul Muldoon, author Paul Murray, musicians Susan McKeown, Laoise Kelly & AIdan Brennan and guests perform at Tara. Event Organiser/Organisation: Susan McKeown, Email: sumckeown@yahoo.com, Telephone: 087-934-5045
- Clare & Cork – Open Day At Loop Head Lightkeepers’ House & Galley Head Lightkeepers’ Houses (Free), 28th August 10:00 – 16:00. Loop Head Lightkeepers’ House, Kilbaha, Clare and Galley Head Lightkeepers’ Houses, Clonakilty, The Irish Landmark Trust rescues and restores Ireland’s built heritage. Come and experience an authentically restored C19th lightkeepers’ house. Self-guided tour of these restored properties now available as a holiday home. Child supervision is required due to coastal location. Event Organizer: The Irish Landmark Trust, Caroline Crowley, caroline@irishlandmark.com, 01 6704733.
- Donegal – Medieval Weapons and Medieval Magic Displays (Free), 28th August 14:00 – 17:00. Donegal Castle, Donegal Town, Co. Donegal. Medieval weaponry display, talk and magic show. Event Organizer: Donegal Castle, Sean McLoone, donegalcastle@opw.ie, 074 9722405.
- Dublin – Concert ‘Traditional Irish Music In The Gardens With Mick O’Brien, Family & Friends’ (Free), 28th August 15:00 – 17:00. National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin 9. Mick O’Brien and his entourage will play a selection of music on banjo, fiddle, harp, uilleann pipes and whistle. This ’seisiún’ will be held outdoors weather permitting. Event Organizer: National Botanic Garden, Felicity Gaffney, botanicgardens@opw.ie, 01 8570909.
- Dublin – Garden Squares Day: St. Stephens Green (Free) 27th August 10.00 – 17.00. St. Stephen’s Green. Enjoy walking tours, play chess against Grandmaster Baburin, laze on the grass to the Concert band or dance the Tango Argentino. Celebrate Dublin’s 2nd Garden Squares Day. See www.dublincivictrust.com for full info or email info@dublincivictrust.ie Event Organiser: Dublin Civic Trust, Rebecca Jeffares, Email: rebjeff@utvinternet.com, Telephone: 087 9537959
- Wexford – Traditional Boat Building Workshop (Free) Saturday 27th August 2.30 – 5.30. Boat Building Shed, Seaview House, Hantoon Rd., Maudlintown, Wexford. A hands on workshop in how to build a Wexford Cot, a traditional wooden clinker built boat. Including: hands on experience, videos of boats being built and a demonstration of sailing. Very suitable for children. Event Organiser: Southend Family Resource Centre, Murt Flynn, Email: southend1@eircom.net, Telephone: 053 9126027
- Kilkenny – Demonstration on Making Stained Glass (Free), 27th August 10:30 – 12:00. Workshop of Joe Sheridan, Newtown, Kells. Demonstration on the making of stained glass. Event Organizer: Callan Heritage Societ, Philip Lynch, joekennedy@esatclear.ie, 056 7725309.
- Carlow – Slí na Scéacha Workshop With Nature Storytelling Session Including Dance (Free), 27th August 12:00 – 16:00. The Forge, Kilbride, Ballon. Nature interactive, walk, talk around the new Slí na Scéacha. Traditional story telling session with dance. Bring a picnic or eat in the Forge. Donations may be made to the Carlow, Kilkenny Homecare Team, Event Organizer: Ballon Improvement Group, Máire George, mairegeorge@gmail.com, 087 2424934.
- Laois – Geology Weekend Focusing on the Upper Carboniferous (Free) Friday 26th August 8 – 9.30pm, Saturday 27th August 10am – 4pm and Sunday 28th August 10am – 2pm. Kinnitty Community Centre as base, Kinnitty, Slieve Blooms. Geologist John Feehan will lead a 3 day programme with field trips in Laois and Offaly on Sat and Sun. Introductory lecture Friday. Places are limited.. Event Organiser: Offaly Naturalist’s Field Club, Amanda Pedlow, Booking essential with heritage@offalycoco.ie or 057 9346839
- Offaly – Go Bats In Daingean: Walk And Talk (Free) 27th August 8.30 – 10pm Daingean Town Hall, Daingean, Offaly. A talk and presentation on the habits of bats in and around Daingean followed by a walk around the town with bat detectors. Event Organiser: Daingean Development Association, Email: daingeandevelopment@gmail.com, Telephone: 087 7476589
- Sligo – Benwiskin Centre Heritage Day (Free) Sunday 28th August 6-8pm. The Benwiskin Centre, Ballintrillick. Bread making, jam making, hay ropes, basket making, knitting, crochet work, story telling and an introduction to the popular 25 card drive (card game). Event Organiser: Ballintrillick Environmental Group Ltd, email: info@benwiskincentre.com, Telephone: 071 9176721
For updates on events throughout the week, log on to www.heritageweek.ie or follow us on Twitter @heritageweek or our Heritage Week Facebook page.
