Our heritage comes to life
HERITAGE Week in County Cork, in this the Centenary Year, has been a great success. Dozens of events have already taken place to date with many more to follow and despite the inclement weather last weekend many events were very well attended. Indeed, during the week it is hard to pick which events to attend when there is such a great variety on offer, but it seems that across the board, the events have been excellent.
This coming weekend, there are still dozens of Heritage Week events taking place in the Mid and North Cork area, including such locations as Buttevant, Coachford, Mallow, Newmarket, Inniscarra and Killavullen.
In Buttevant on Saturday 27th August, the town will have a strong 1916 focus. In 1916, Buttevant had a large British Army presence and the influence of the army on the social and commercial life of the town will be explored, in a range of different activities throughout the day. The main base of operations will be the Day Care Centre, located on Main Street, Buttevant, and those looking to attend on the day may also be interested in a most wonderful medieval walking tour. Buttevant, which is an historic Walled Town, has medieval origins dating back to the 12th century and earlier. Many medieval structures still stand within the town and the tour is highly recommended. The tour commences at 3pm from the Church Gate on Main Street, and for further information email buttevanttours@gmail.com.
Saturday 27th August will also see a number of further events in North Cork. In Newmarket at the James O’ Keeffe Institute from 1pm to 5pm there will be a wonderful opportunity to learn about our agricultural heritage. At this agricultural museum open day, attendees will take a trip back in time with basket making and butter making displays as well as a Blacksmith displaying his skills and vintage machinery. The event is suitable for all the family and for further information email duhallow@irdduhallow.com or phone 029 60633.
In Mallow at 5pm that evening there will be an opportunity to sample some music from the past. In St. James Church, Mallow, the Hibernian Muse in association with Cork County Arts Office will present ‘What the Wild Geese Heard’, being a performance of music popular in Ireland in the 17th and 18th centuries. For further information phone 02221473.
The last day for participating in Heritage Week 2016, is Sunday August 28th and there is again a great line-up of events.
In Inniscarra, from 2pm to 6pm there will be a wonderful event entitled ‘ The Inniscarra Agricultural Show, Old Time Threshing and Vintage Rally’. The event was a great success in 2015 and it is a wonderful way for people to get a sense of the agricultural heritage of the area with fun and attractions for all the family throughout the day, together with lots of arts, crafts, baking and animal classes to enter. The cost of entry is €8 single and €15 per pair and the day will unfold at the Inniscarra Community Centre, Ballyanly, Inniscarra. For more information on this event phone 021 7332211 or visit www.iniscarra.org.
In Killavullen that afternoon, Ted Cook will lead a wonderful tour at the Nano Nagle Centre, commencing at 2pm, looking at the implications for Christian civilization of the Papal Directive on Ecological Morality. Those in attendance will have the opportunity to plant trees and it promises to be a most enjoyable event. For further information email noreen@nanonaglebirthplace.ie or phone 087 7425585 / 086 8789891.
In Coachford that afternoon there will be a day of remembrance trí mheán na Gaeilge regarding Mícheál Ó Murchú, Poet, Scholar and President of Conradh na Gaeilge, 1982 to 1985. The event will feature literature, music, friendship and reflection on this Coachford resident, and promises to be a wonderful event. It takes place in the Millennium Park, Coachford, from 2pm to 4pm and all are welcome to attend.
Without a doubt, Heritage Week will serve up a suite of further fantastic events over the coming days. For more information on these and all other Heritage Week events see the Cork County Heritage Week 2016 Event Leaflet or visit the National Heritage Week website at www.heritageweek.ie. Online, participants can also enter the Heritage Week Photographic competition with a closing date of September 9th 2016.
With September just around the corner, there are also plenty of events to look forward to. Newtownshandrum will be a hive of activity on Sunday 4th September when the of community1916 with willa large commemorate community the commemorativeCentenary event that will include the erection of a memorial in honour of the Newtown Company. In Ballygarvan on Saturday, 3rd, the community will hold a 1916 commemorative event at the at the old school/community centre in Ballygarvan on September 3rd at 2.30pm. The event will include a local march, a reading of the proclamation, an oration by a local historian and a performance of music and Irish dancing. Also on the Saturday, there will be guided tours of the Easter Rising Trail located in Millstreet Country Park, tours commencing at 12.30pm and again at 2.30pm. For more information visit www. millstreetcountrypark.com. September will see many further events including a symposium on William Penn, the 8th Annual Celebrating Cork Past Heritage Exhibition and a range of further events. These and more will be featured in next week’s article.