Tours of Barmeath Castle, Beaulieu House and Gardens and Rokeby Hall, free guided tours of old Mellifont Abbey – these are some of the local events already on the programme for National Heritage Week 2023 which takes place nationwide from Saturday 12th to Sunday 20th August. The organisers are hoping that more will be added in the meantime.
Speaking at the launch in Tom McDonnell and James Collins’ tinsmithing workshop , Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD said: “With thousands of free events all over the country, Heritage Week is a wonderful opportunity to connect with the places, traditions, crafts and skills that have woven their way through the fabric of Irish society.
“I’d like to commend the hundreds of people, community groups and organisations across Ireland who, every year, give freely of their own time to host events and share their interest in heritage with the public and with the next generation of heritage lovers and tradition keepers. It is thanks to their efforts that the understanding and love of our heritage is kept alive, and passed on to the next generation.”
CEO of the Heritage Council, Virginia Teehan said: “Whether we are conscious of it or not, we are all torch holders of our heritage in one way or another and this year’s theme of Living Heritage provides an opportunity to explore this idea further.
“Anybody who has learned a skill from a family member, who has repeated a story told to them by an ancestor, or even anybody who has played GAA, has played a part in preserving our cultural heritage. Many of the events registered this year will highlight how valuable these traditions are and how richly they contribute to our understanding of who we are as a people.”
Over 1,000 FREE events and projects have already been registered with that figure expected to reach close to 2,000 before the festivities kick off. Galleries, gardens, historic houses, barnyards and studios will play host to events covering everything from architecture to archaeology, film to foraging, philosophy to genealogy and music to storytelling.
Walks, talks and workshops will satisfy the heritage curious among us who can search for events taking place in their area either by county or by topic from here.
Organisers of events in the Drogheda area should send details to news@droghedalife.com and we will publicise them.
