Carved in Stone: Preserving a Community's Heritage | "Irish Names in Canadian Stone: A Transatlantic Heritage"

“Carved in Stone: Preserving a Community's Heritage” is a National Heritage Week programme exploring how gravestones, memorial inscriptions and historic burial landscapes preserve the history, identity and collective memory of communities across generations. Supported by the Royal Irish Academy, presented by Ballyhoura Development and hosted by Saint George's Mitchelstown, the programme brings together local history, archaeology, genealogy and cultural heritage to reveal how communities have preserved their stories in stone, from local burial grounds to the wider Irish diaspora.

The opening event, “Irish Names in Canadian Stone: A Transatlantic Heritage”, is an illustrated talk exploring how Irish emigrants left enduring traces of their identity across the Atlantic. Through the study of gravestone inscriptions and memorial traditions, participants will discover how Irish names, family connections and cultural heritage were preserved in stone in Canada, creating a unique link between local history and the wider Irish diaspora.

Presented by Canadian historian Patrick Leahy and Irish archaeologist John Tierney, the event combines video, Canadian gravestone displays, storytelling and historical interpretation to examine legacies preserved in paper, stone, wood and memory. Participants will discover how heritage is recorded not only in archives and documents, but also in monuments, landscapes and traditions that shape our understanding of the past.

Following the talk, attendees are invited to enjoy music from the Kilworth Guitar and Music Group, and refreshments, before the companion event, “Gone Underground: A Heritage Preserved”, a guided exploration of Brigown Cemetery where many of the themes discussed can be examined in the local landscape.