HORIZONS

Make your plans to join in Heritage WeekHeld as part of the European Heritage Days initiative, Ireland's week-long celebration of our natural and built heritage runs from tomorrow until Sunday, August 31st. Here is a sample of activities you can join in.

Free guided tours of stately homes, historic gardens and castles take place at venues include Altamont Gardens, Tullow, Co Carlow, tomorrow at noon, St Helen's House and gardens, at the Radisson Hotel, Booterstown, Co Dublin, tomorrow at 2.30pm, Castletown House, Celbridge, Co Kildare tomorrow from 10.30pm-4.30pm and Killruddery Gardens, Bray, Co Wicklow, next Sunday from 1pm-5pm.

In Dublin city, there are walking tours tomorrow, starting from Trinity College at 3pm. There are free guided tours of Dublinia and the Viking World, next to Christ Church Cathedral, at 2pm tomorrow and family tours of the National Museum, Kildare St, on Tuesday at 11am and 2.30pm.

In Cork, walking tours of the city take place from Monday to Friday, starting from the Cork Tourist Office, Grand Parade, at 10am, 2pm and 4pm each day. A medieval tour of Galway city takes place tomorrow at 10am, starting from Galway City Hall.

Next Saturday, historic churches and Georgian houses in the Merrion Square area of Dublin will be open to the public. Visitors will have an opportunity to visit the Irish Landmark Trust, the National University of Ireland, St Stephen's Church, the Irish Georgian Society and the Irish Architectural Archive (tel: 01-7026165 for details). A similar initiative will be held in Cork city on Saturday next. Cork Heritage Open Day features free entry over 30 buildings not usually open to the public (tel: 021-4924086).

Forest Friends Ireland will lead a walk in the sand dunes of Bull Island next Sunday at 11am. The same group will also host tree identification in St Anne's Park, Millennium Arboretum in Raheny, Dublin, on Sunday next at 2.30pm. Both events are free. Expert guides will bring children on a nature treasure hunt during the Booterstown Nature Reserve Open Day, Booterstown, Co Dublin, next Sunday at 2.30pm, In Co Donegal tomorrow, a park ranger will lead a hill walk in Glenveagh National Park, starting at the visitor centre at 11am. Live traditional music and dancing will take place between noon and 4pm and a guided family walk of the gardens starts at 2pm (tel: 074-9137090). In Co Mayo, there will be a free archaeological tour of the early settlements on Slievemore mountain, Achill Island, tomorrow from noon until 3pm (tel: 098-43564) and free open day at the Céide Fields Centre, Ballycastle, tomorrow from 10am-6pm. In Co Meath, there will be free guided tours of Newgrange and Knowth, all day tomorrow, starting from Brú na Bóinne visitor centre.

Athenry Castle, Co Galway, will be the venue for a family fun day with medieval re-enactments and falconry displays tomorrow from 1pm-5pm. There will also be a free medieval fair in Carlingford, Co Louth, tomorrow from 2pm-5pm. Both events are part of the National Walled Town Day. Other participating towns and cities include Athlone, Co Westmeath, Cashel and Clonmel, Co Tipperary, Derry city, Youghal, Co Cork, Limerick city, Waterford city and Wexford town.

In the grounds of King House, Boyle, Co Roscommon, there will be a traditional farmers market on August 30th from 10am-2pm. And, finally, there will be free guided tours of Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny and Emo Court, Emo, Co Laois, tomorrow.