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Heritage Week 2019: Pastimes | Past Times

Heritage Week 2019 Cover Image Website

We're delighted to share our theme for Heritage Week 2019: Pastimes | Past Times. From 17-25 August we encourage you to take a stroll through history and explore how our free time has evolved in often fascinating ways.

Our pastimes today have been shaped by hundreds of years of storytelling, craft, sport and music.

Tell the story from fireside audiences thrilled by ancient epics to online communities bonding over boxsets. Show how traditional crafts are growing in popularity as a new generation discovers the joy of handmaking. Explore hurling’s long journey from Cú Chulainn to Croke Park. Discover how our modern music festivals have nothing on the hedonism of Donnybrook Fair in the 1800’s!

Coordinated by the Heritage Council, National Heritage Week is Ireland’s most popular cultural event and in 2019 half a million people are expected to participate in over 2,200 heritage events. National Heritage Week is part of European Heritage Days which promote Europe’s common cultural heritage.

What to get involved as an event organiser? Not sure where to begin? Browse this list of 100 Event Ideas from living libraries to junior tour guides.

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National Heritage Week Awards 2026 - Winners and Runners-up Announced

The National Heritage Week Awards 2026 ceremony took place on Thursday, 29 October 2026, celebrating the individuals, community groups and organisations whose outstanding events helped showcase and protect Ireland's built, natural and cultural heritage.

The 2026 Awards recognise the most engaging and inspiring events from National Heritage Week 2026. Over the course of nine days from 15–23 August, communities across Ireland came together to celebrate local heritage through walks, talks, workshops, exhibitions, performances and family events. This year's theme, Heritage at Risk, encouraged people to explore and protect the places, traditions, skills and stories that form an important part of our shared heritage.
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National Heritage Week 2026 Heritage Hero Announced

The Heritage Council is delighted to share that the 2026 National Heritage Week Heritage Hero has been awarded to Gearóid O'Brien for his lifelong dedication to preserving, promoting and celebrating the heritage of Athlone and Ireland.

The Heritage Hero award honours an individual or organisation that has made an outstanding, long-term contribution to the protection and promotion of Ireland's heritage. Unlike the other categories, this award is based solely on public nominations and is considered a lifetime achievement award.