Family fun at Battle of Boyne site during National Heritage Week

This Saturday, 22nd August, will see a week of free family fun-packed activities start at the Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre at Oldbridge, between Slane, and Drogheda. Events will take place indoors and outdoors. Among the highlights will be a coin, medal and stamp valuation day with experts such as Micheal Kelly of the Dublin Coin Auction and a regular on RTE's 'Mooney Goes Wild' radio programme. For anyone who has coins of medals at home and are always wondering about them, then the advice is don't clean them as this can damage the surface and devalue them abut instead bring them along on Sunday 23rd August from 12 noon to 5pm for free advice. The following Sunday, 30th August, people can bring along old books, be they rare or unusual, and get them valued by booksellers from all around the country. At the book fair, there will be a treasure trove of prints, signed pictures, signed programmes from concerts and, of course, the odd book or two. Among the gems available for purchase will be signed first editions by Mary Lavin, Patrick Kavanagh, Sinead de Valera, books about local GAA and local history. Local bookseller Mark Kearns of Boyne Books will be there with books about military and local history. In terms of outdoor events in the beautiful surrounds of Oldbridge House, there will be a painting class for adults by local artist Raymond Balfe (on Saturday 22nd at 2pm) or a children's art workshop (Saturday 29th at 2pm). There also will be some 17th century games, such as hopscotch and snakes and ladders, each weekend. Star gazing (Thursday 27th at 9pm) and bat walks (Sunday 23rd at 8pm) and battle site walks each Saturday at 3.30pm are also planned. Thursday evening 27th August will be back indoors for a series of half-hour talks on General Schomberg by Gerry Smyth, the Boyne Coracle by Cliabh O Gibne and the Boyne Navigation by Tommy McLoughlin. Booking is essential for the art classes, workshops and talks. Telephone (041) 980 9950 or email battleoftheboyne@opw.ie to make a booking. What battle site wouldn't be complete wthout the roar of the cannon, thick gunsmoke and thunder of hooves. The amazing 'Living History' displays of black powder musket and cannon-firing, as well as cavalry drills, on Sunday 24th and Sunday 30th August from 11am to-5pm are also likely to be big draws for members of the public. For a full listing of events at the Battle of the Boyne site, visit www.battleoftheboyne.ie