NATIONAL HERITAGE WEEK:More than 1,200 events are planned for a week that used to be only about cultural heritage but now embraces families and natural heritage, writes BRIAN O'CONNELL
DEPENDING ON WHO you ask, this year is either the 20th or the 21st anniversary of National Heritage Week. The impetus for the annual event came from a European endeavour, in France, almost a quarter of a century ago, which sought to open up access to cultural and heritage buildings and institutions, to a wider public.
In 2006, the Department of the Environment handed running of the event over to the Heritage Council, and since then the event has both expanded and evolved.
While built heritage still features prominently, now you are as likely to attend a knitting workshop, or set dancing session, as you are to learn the finer points of stonemasonry or take a stroll inside a Georgian pile. More than 1,200 events are planned for this year, which is a 20 per cent increase on the programme for 2009, an impressive expansion given the economic context.
Isabell Smyth, head of communication and education at the Heritage Council, says that while much of the ethos of the week has remained the same, the council has sought to change it into a more family-orientated event in recent years. “The focus had been very much around cultural heritage and we have shifted somewhat to a family focus and natural heritage,” she says. “We have a lot more interactive workshops and training opportunities also. It used to be a much more passive experience, now there are opportunities to get involved in a whole range of issues.”
Some of those involved this year include local and national libraries, national cultural institutions, NGOs, museums and a range of community groups. The majority of events will remain free.
“Some of the bigger events include a celebration on Tara and the Irish walled towns network days where Youghal alone had 15,000 people turn up last year,” says Smyth. “There are also so many smaller events, such as publication launches or community days out. There is as much going on in Donegal and Clare as in Dublin, which is what makes the week such a national event.”
National Heritage Week runs from tomorrow until August 29th at various locations. For more information see heritageweek.ie.
