National Heritage Week awards ceremony set to take place in Offaly
Two Offaly heritage groups have shortlisted for top awards at National Heritage Week awards ceremony, which is set to take place in Gloster House, just outside Birr, this Friday, October 20
The Heritage Council announced on Tuesday that Bracknagh Heritage group and Ballycumber Tidy Towns, are among the groups from all over the country hoping to take home an award.
Bracknagh Heritage has been nominated in the Living Heritage Award category, which recognises events that successfully encouraged a greater appreciation of an element of our living heritage - traditional crafts, skills and practices.
The event organised by Bracknagh Heritage brought people to the historical site of St Brochan’s Well and monastery. The celebration included the reinstatement of a statue of St Brochan and the planting of whitethorn trees in keeping with the tradition of each tree representing one of the twelve apostles.
Meanwhile, Ballycumber Tidy Towns will be hoping to take home the Wild Child Award which recognises the event that successfully encouraged children and families to get outdoors so that they can enjoy and explore the heritage and biodiversity in their locality.
Their event, entitled River Brosna Heritage Fest, featured a citizen science sampling event in the river with a catchment scientist inviting children to participate. It also included a nature walk with a local ecologist and an evening of entertainment focusing on the heritage and history of the village and river.
The National Heritage Week Awards recognises the enormous contribution of individuals and community groups across Ireland in ensuring the preservation, protection, and promotion of Ireland’s built, natural and cultural heritage.
The awards honour those organisers who created the most engaging and inspiring events and projects for National Heritage Week 2023 as well as Ireland’s Heritage Hero.
Almost 2,000 events and projects took place around the country in August during National Heritage Week, as communities and individuals answered the Heritage Council’s invitation to explore this year’s theme of living heritage.
The ceremony, taking place in the historic Gloster House, close to Birr, will be livestreamed from the website below on Friday from 3.45pm: