National Heritage Week is a part of European Heritage Days. This year's theme is Industrial Heritage and it is shared by many countries across Europe. Together, the aim is to help raise the profile and awareness of the value of industrial heritage to all people across Europe.
Ireland's industrial past is a story of change, development and creativity and of the men and women who were a part of that story. Industrial heritage engages all of us and has left a legacy in the buildings, records and memories of people across Ireland, a legacy that paved the way for how we live today. This Heritage Week looks to celebrate, share and enjoy aspects of this story. There are many things that you can organise in your local community to bring our industrial heritage to life. From organising a tour of a local industrial building, to creating a photo exhibition of a local industry.
The "European Heritage Days" is the most widely celebrated cultural event shared by the people of Europe. This initiative was launched by The Council of Europe in 1985, and in 1999 it was adopted by the European Union as one of their key cultural programmes. Now in it's 30th year, the programme, which boasts up to 20 million visitors every year, generates the greatest value, of any “European” cultural project.
European Heritage Days events – often called Heritage Open Days - take place in the 50 countries party to the European Cultural Convention. These events usually take place in August and September and during this time, doors are opened to numerous monuments and sites, allowing Europe’s citizens to enjoy free visits and learn about their shared cultural heritage. It encourages people to become actively involved in the safeguard and enhancement of their local heritage for present and future generations.
To get you started with organising an event in your community during Heritage Week, the Heritage Council has created 101 Event Ideas for National Heritage Week.
During last year's Heritage Week, Ireland XO presented two local history talks entitled, ‘Beyond Parish’ and ‘Civil Records: 10 Sources for Local and Parish History’. They were promoted on traditional and social media and it is planned to podcast any talks in the future, to meet the huge interest from international volunteers and Facebook followers.
Click on this link to discover a handy tool for finding events all over Ireland. Find out what events are happening in your area during this year's Heritage week
Every County has created their own guide to let you know what is on and how you can be involved in National Heritage Week. Don't miss out on this opportunity to be involved in local heritage and discover the historical wonders of your part of Ireland. Download the event guide for your County here.
