Something for everyone during Heritage Week
NATIONAL Heritage Week starts next Saturday, August 19, and continues till Sunday, August 27. With over 2,000 events advertised, most of them free, the week-long celebration of our diverse heritage is bound to have something of interest for everyone including many great nature walks.
Each year, during the last week of August, many national and hundreds of local community organisations participate by organising events throughout the country. The programme of events put together each year highlights the abundance of great work that is carried out in all communities in Ireland to preserve and promote our natural, built and cultural heritage.
National Heritage Week is part of European Heritage Days. These are a joint initiative of the council of Europe and the European Union in which over 40 countries participate each year. Events in Ireland are coordinated by the Heritage Council and aim is to build awareness and education about our heritage thereby encouraging its conservation and preservation.
Within the week, a number of specially themed days is planned. Wednesday, August 23, is Wild Child Day, a day dedicated to wild children everywhere with a focus on outdoorsy adventures.
Sunday, August 27, is Water Heritage Day providing an opportunity to celebrate water and what it means to us. We all depend on a clean and plentiful supply of water in our daily lives; it underpins our personal health and well-being and contributes immeasurably to our local and national economies. While often available in abundance across Ireland, clean, healthy water is a precious and fragile resource that needs our care and attention to protect it for present and future generations.
Many of the beautiful places in Ireland are linked with our rivers, lakes, springs and coasts. These wild and wonderful places and the wildlife they support provide inspiration and enjoyment for young and old. Several special, water-related events or you can simply take time out with family and friends to explore your local stream, river, lake or beach and join others as we celebrate water during Heritage Week.
Some 450,000 people are expected to participate in the 2,000 events on offer for National Heritage Week. These events are all listed on the Heritage Council website that can be searched by county, by date and by the type of event that is of interest be an indoor talk or an outdoor nature walk. Check out the listings of events on offer at heritageweek.ie/whats-on/events.