A variety of events will be held across County Wicklow as part of National Heritage Week 2023 which takes place from Saturday, 12th August, to Sunday, 20th August.
Amongst the events are:
- Biodiversity walks and historical house tours at Altidore Castle
- Two days of Wicklow Crafts demonstrations at Enniskerry Schoolhouse for Art
- Hands-on archaeological ‘Big Digs’ for kids at Tinahely and Glendalough
- Meet Our Native Trees walk and talk at Castleruddery Organic Farm
- Ballyknockan Village walking tour and stone-cutting demonstration
- Wicklow Head Lighthouse open day
- Basket-making demonstration and Lego workshops at Glendalough
- Talks on the ‘Treasures of Nuns Cross Church’
- The Archives at Killruddery and
- Guided walking tours at Bray Head, St Peters Graveyard, Kilcoole, and Glen of The Downs
Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County, Cllr Aoife Flynn Kennedy, said: “Heritage Week is a fabulous opportunity for communities around County Wicklow to showcase their local place, activities and events and celebrate of our traditions, skills, history and natural heritage. I am delighted to see the range of events taking place all over Wicklow and I commend all the volunteers and heritage enthusiasts involved.”
Emer O’Gorman, Chief Executive, of Wicklow County Council, welcomed the Heritage Week programme saying: “Heritage Week is a highlight of the Wicklow cultural heritage calendar, encompassing nine days of events, the majority of which are family-friendly and free-of-charge. The Council is delighted to support Heritage Week through the co-ordination of our Heritage Office and in association with our Libraries, Archives and other services.”
Anybody interested in hosting an event or a digital project can register it up to the beginning of National Heritage Week on August 12th and even during the week itself right up until the final day on Sunday, August 20th They can do so via the Organisers’ Portal on www.heritageweek.ie.
Heritage Week 2023 was formally launched today (Tuesday) by the Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, TD. A colourful range of events and projects celebrating all aspects of our heritage will take place across the country as communities, families, holidaymakers and people of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to get out and explore their heritage.
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 who can search for events taking place in their area either by county or by topic.
The theme for National Heritage Week this year is ‘Living Heritage’ which is defined as the practices, knowledge and skills that have been passed from one generation to the next and are still in use today. As such, many events and projects will focus on the keeping alive of these crafts and skills, and this year’s launch took place at the workshop of Tom McDonnell and James Collins, two of the last remaining men practising the dying trade of Traveller tinsmithing.
Speaking at the launch in Tom McDonnell and James Collins’ tinsmithing workshop, Minister Noonan, 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 stated: “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.”
The National Lottery and Fáilte Ireland are joined by the Office of Public Works (OPW), the Irish Landmark Trust, and the Local Authority Water Programme as partners of National Heritage Week 2023.
At county level, National Heritage Week is coordinated and supported by local authority Heritage Officers, their colleagues and with numerous local heritage groups and organisations.
Coordinated by the Heritage Council since 2005, National Heritage Week has become one of Ireland’s largest cultural events, celebrating Ireland’s built, natural and cultural heritage and aiming to generate awareness, appreciation and preservation of our wonderful resources.