1800 events lined up for heritage week
Several hundred heritage enthusiasts and volunteers from around the country joined Minister Anne Phelan TD as she launched 2015 National Heritage Week 2015 (22nd-30th August) at the Guinness Storehouse on behalf of the Heritage Council. This year the Heritage Council is inviting everyone to examine our past through the unique lens of industrial heritage. The Guinness Storehouse and its comprehensive archive of three hundred years of industrial activity is an ideal place to start.
Michael Starrett CEO, Heritage Council, said: 'Our industrial past tells the story of change, development and creativity in Ireland. National Heritage Week is the perfect time to find out more about this fascinating, but often neglected, aspect of our past. In most counties there are still signs of lost industry – a derelict mill, rusting machinery, a chimney, a clogged water race - all mark the sites of a once-thriving workplace and community. So this year we are encouraging people to do something different and look to our industrial heritage and celebrate it. It’s well worth a look.'
Other contributions were made by Heritage Council chairperson, Conor Newman, Paul Carty, managing director of the Guinness Storehouse, and historian Turtle Bunbury.
From the 22nd -30th August 2015, over 400,000 people will participate in over 1800 heritage events around the country including archaeological digs in Swords, High Nelly Bicycle tours in Laois, linen-making in Monaghan, exploring the Victorian Water Works in Cork, navigating the Boyne, steam engine rides in Stradbally, copper mining in Allihies, paper making in Clondalkin and so much more. Most of these events are free and will be led by local enthusiasts. National Heritage Week is a fantastic opportunity to shine a light on the work of these tireless volunteers and their indomitable community spirit.
National Heritage Week is part of European Heritage Days, which is celebrated in over 40 countries across Europe. In 2015, participating countries agreed to share a common theme to help raise the profile and awareness of the value of industrial and design heritage across Europe. Ireland’s National Heritage Week 22nd-30th August is the first such European celebration of industrial heritage, which will roll out through the rest of Europe in autumn 2015.
For more information on what’s on in your area for Heritage Week 2015, see www.heritageweek.ie