Dip your toe this Water Heritage Day...

This year’s National Heritage Week message of ‘open the door to heritage’ has been an opportunity explore and engage with aspects of our natural, built or cultural heritage and learn something new about how our heritage has influenced the way we live today.

As an island nation, our heritage has been shaped by the sea and the great Irish rivers, lakes and wetlands. This year there are a number of projects that explore water heritage and the importance water has played, and continues to play, in how we live.

Here is a small selection of projects to encourage you to dip your toe in this element of our heritage. You can search all the completed projects here. Filter by county to find activities in your community during Water Heritage Day 2021.

Belmullet Water Heritage Walk, Co Mayo

Sunday, 22nd August at 2pm
Belmullet Tidy Towns will host this water walk around Belmullet town and the townland of Tallagh. Find out more...

Guided tour of the beautiful Anne Valley in Co Waterford

Sunday, 22nd August at 11am
Enjoy a guided tour of the beautiful Anne Valley with photographer and well-known naturalist Paddy Dwan. Find out more...

Avoca River Stories - A discovery of beauty, Co. Wicklow

Video: available online
This film is one of six Avoca River Stories Films. The Avonmore, together with the Avonbeg and Avoca rivers is the largest river catchment in County Wicklow, covering some 650 sq kilometres. Check out this film to learn more about the rivers and the heritage of the area. Find out more...

Safari along the Barrow, Co. Kilkenny

Sunday, 22nd August 2021 at 2.30pm
Enjoy this walk exploring wildlife along the River Barrow at the medieval town of Graignamanagh with Eanna Ni Lamhna. Find out more...

Wordsteps - The Grand Canal, Dublin

Take a trip along the Grand Canal and listen to this sound artwork. As you walk, you hear the words, thoughts and stories from a variety of voices from the present and the past of the Grand Canal. Find out more...

Waters and the wild art for all, Sligo Tidy Towns, Co. Sligo

Sunday, 22nd August at 2pm

Sligo Tidy Towns are inviting people of all ages and ability levels, including family groups to capture the beauty and the biodiversity of Sligo's Garavogue river as it flows through the centre of our town, by creating their own painting of it during Water Heritage Day, Sunday, 22nd August. Find out more...