National Heritage Week

The Band of the 1st Brigade at Charles Fort, Kinsale for Heritage Week 2015

National Heritage Week (Irish: Seachtain Náisiúnta na hOidhreachta) is an annual series of thousands of events, usually held during the last week of August, organised by the Heritage Council of Ireland. It is one of the country's largest cultural celebrations with over 2,400 events taking place nationwide in 2025.[1]

It is a celebration of Ireland's culture, history, gardens, and architecture that gives visitors free entry to landmarks that usually charge an entry fee or are closed to the public. The week's attractions includes tours, events and activities related to history and culture.

National Heritage Week is part of the European Heritage Days, a joint action between the Council of Europe and the European Commission.[2] There is a volunteer programme associated with the organisation of the events.[3]

Event guides are available at tourist offices, libraries, heritage centres, museums, bus stations, and in many hotels. Competitions are held as part of the weeks' activities, and awards – nominated by the public – for the volunteers and organisations who put on the best events.[4]

Sligo Abbey lit up for National Heritage Week 2013.

Awards

  • Heritage Hero, for a person or organisation
  • Hidden Heritage, for lesser known sites
  • Reaching Out, for attracting new audiences
  • Cool for Kids, for family events

See also

References

  1. ^ Multiple sources:
    • O'Sullivan, Jennie (15 August 2025). "Free entry to over 70 OPW sites as heritage week begins". RTÉ News. Organised by the Heritage Council, National Heritage Week has become one of the country's largest cultural celebrations with almost 2,400 events taking place during the week.
    • "What's On". The Heritage Council. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
    • Introduction Archived 27 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Heritage Week, Ireland.
  2. ^ European Heritage Days: A joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission, Council of Europe.
  3. ^ National Heritage Week launches volunteer programme Archived 7 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine, The Heritage Council, Ireland.
  4. ^ "Home | National Heritage Week 14–22 August 2021".
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