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The National Heritage Week Awards ceremony took place on Friday 15th November. The Awards acknowledge the enormous effort and work of individuals and groups who contribute to the built, natural and cultural heritage in their locality
The 2024 Awards recognise the most engaging and inspiring events for National Heritage Week 2024. Over 2,300 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 Connections, Routes and Networks.
Connections, Routes and Networks Award
Winning Event: From Salt to Stone
Organiser: Mountcharles Heritage Group
County: Donegal
For this National Heritage Week event the village of Mountcharles was transformed into a living theatre, bringing to life its rich history through interactive performances, historical talks, and community storytelling. Throughout the day, actors portrayed historical figures like Ethna Carbery and Alice Milligan, highlighting their roles in Irish culture and politics, while children shared stories gathered from their grandparents in an oral history project. The day celebrated the town's built heritage, recalling its stoneworking tradition, past businesses, and social landmarks like Brogan’s dance hall. Displays in shop windows showcased Mountcharles’s heritage in textiles, and vintage vehicles lined the street, while actors portrayed emigrants leaving Mountcharles for new lives abroad. Organised by the Mountcharles Heritage Group, with contributions from local historians and artisans, the event aimed to reconnect the community with its past, foster new connections to history among younger generations, and celebrate the shared legacy of the town.
Runners-Up
Event: A Journey of Discovery from Mount Leinster, Co. Carlow to Bangor, Co. Down Organiser: Friends of Columbanus Myshall
County: Carlow
Event: Simulation of R L Edgeworth's Pioneering TElegraphic Message from Dublin to Galway 1803
Organiser: The Maria Edgeworth Centre County: Longford
Intangible Cultural Heritage Award (The Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh Award)
This award recognises an event that showcased an element of our intangible cultural heritage, whether through crafts, skills, customs, or other traditional practices. The winner of this award was announced at a special event on 4th October.
Winning Event: Maharees Currach Making Workshop with the O'Leary Family
Organiser: Maharees Conservation Association CLG
County: Kerry
A currach-making demonstration with the O’Leary family who have made currachs (known locally as canoes) in Maharees for five generations. Attendees learned how canoes were made as the O’Leary Family (had purchased, made) and pieced together all of the elements of the currach they had prepared beforehand. They learned the difference between Galway currachs and West Kerry varieties. They learned the difference between racing currachs used in the regattas and fishing currachs. They learned how currachs were steered. They learned how the canoes connected and sustained the communities living in Maharees and around the Tralee Bay area – as they were the only way to and from the inhabited Oileán tSeannaigh and also the islands used for grazing off the coast of Maharees . One of our own members (a professional camera man working with RTE) filmed the event and we intend to make a short documentary-style film about this Maharees family tradition over the coming months.
Runners-Up
Event: Lemanaghan Stories: Tales of Tradition, Routes and Connections
Organiser: Lemanaghan Bog Heritage & Conservation Group
County: Offaly
Event: Traveller Living Heritage
Organiser: The Meath Traveller Workshop
County: Meath
Wild Child Event Award
Run in partnership with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, this award highlights events that encouraged children and families to engage with nature on Wild Child Day, August 24th, exploring their local biodiversity and heritage in a fun, outdoor setting.
Winning Event: Take a Walk on the Wild Side
Organiser: Ahare River & Biodiversity Development Group
County: Wexford "Take a Walk on the Wild Side," held on August 24 in Curragh Woods, Co. Wexford, was a family-friendly event connecting the upper river catchment community of Kilanerin around the theme of “routes, networks, and connections.” The day featured interactive activities by the Mill River, where children explored aquatic life with guidance from community water officer Gregory Roche, who emphasized the importance of water quality for ecosystem health. Families then embarked on a forest walk and nature treasure hunt, with a focus on "leave no trace" principles, encouraging photography over flower-picking to foster conservation awareness. An educational litter activity also engaged children, teaching them about environmental impact by matching items to their decomposition times.
Runners-Up
Event: Wild Child Day Treasure Hunt
Organiser: St Canice's Cathedral
County: Kilkenny
Event: From Wilderness to Wonderment on Wild Child Day
Organiser: St.Mullins Heritage and Tourism Group
County: Carlow
Water Heritage Day Award
In partnership with the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) this award recognises events held on Water Heritage Day, August 25th, which celebrated local waterways and explored their importance to natural and cultural heritage.
Winning Event: Folly Tales and Treasure Trails
Organiser: Ballycumber Tidy Towns
County: Offaly Ballycumber Tidy Towns hosted “Folly Tales and Treasure Trails” on August 25th along the River Brosna, celebrating community connections across Offaly. The event day featured foraging with Siobhan Lavell, biodiversity education, and river sampling with Ruth McKeever from LAWPRO, where children learned about water quality and river ecosystems. Kids also enjoyed a riverbank treasure hunt, followed by refreshments. The event included art workshops for children and young adults, including those with special needs, to create a flag symbolizing unity across Clara, Ballycumber, Pollagh, and Ferbane, where the Brosna flows through each community. The evening “Folly Tales” closed the event with music, storytelling, and poetry. Outcomes included increased awareness of the River Brosna’s natural and cultural heritage, connections across communities, and inspiration for future heritage events.
Runners-Up
Event: A Boatman’s Journey: Navigating the heritage of the Grand Canal
Organiser: Heritage Boat Association (HBA) and Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI) and Waterways Ireland.
County: Offaly
Event: Inchcleraun Academic Tour
Organiser: Lough Ree Access for all and Herbert Farrell
County: Longford
Inclusive Heritage Award
This award celebrates events that made a conscious effort to be inclusive, engaging with diverse communities, including people new to heritage, those with additional accessibility needs, and people of varying age groups.
Winning Event: Travelling Tales - Community led Traveller heritage work
Organiser: Cork Traveller Women's Network
County: Cork City
The Cork Traveller Women’s Network (CTWN) hosted "Travelling Tales - Community Led Traveller Heritage Work" during Heritage Week, highlighting Traveller culture through storytelling and oral histories. Part of the broader "Building a Cork City Traveller Heritage Archive" initiative, the event took place at Toraig on the Tobar, Ireland’s only Traveller-led permanent exhibit at Cork Public Museum. The gathering featured Traveller women from the Keenan family in conversation with James Furey, an oral historian from the Cork Folklore Project, discussing family heritage, nomadism, and the impact of the 2002 Trespass Act, which restricted traditional nomadic lifestyles. By sharing personal stories and recording these narratives, CTWN aims to address the historic misrepresentation of Travellers and preserve their cultural legacy. The event, attended by a full house of 20 participants, concluded with the launch of a CTWN-designed children’s heritage activity pack to engage younger generations in Traveller history.
Runners-Up
Event: Living Heritage Documentary
Organiser: Good Day Cork
County: Cork City
Event: Do you have a nose for history?
Organiser: Athenry Castle OPW
County: Galway
Irish Language Award
This award is given to an event that promoted the use of the Irish language, encouraging engagement through Irish in activities that celebrate our heritage.
Winning Event: In Search of Airgíalla/Ar thóir Airghíalla
Organiser: Monaghan County Council
County: Monaghan This event was a guided bilingual exploration of the Oriel landscape. The kingdom of Airgíalla encompassed a large area of Monaghan and south Tyrone as well as further east into Louth etc.
Between the 6th and 16th centuries the Kingdom of Airgíalla (anglicized as Oriel) was one of the three major kingdoms of Ulster. The event was guided by two Gaelgeoirs, however it was a builingual event. One of the guides was Brian Mac Domhnaill, a native of Clones, a local historian with a passion for all aspects of our heritage and a former Director of Research with Clogher Historical Society. The other guide was Déaglán Ó Doibhlin, an Irish language officer with Mid Ulster District Council who has a deep interest in the re-imagining of medieval Gaelic landscapes through placenames, mythology and folklore study.
The event was advertised in Irish and English and throughout the day both were spoken freely. It was a very relaxed atmosphere and people were comfortable using either English or Irish.
Runners-Up
Event: Harmony and Heritage: A Milltown Tribute
Organiser: Milltown Community Council and Milltown Heritage Group
County: Galway
Event: Féile Saibhreas Mhachaire Rabhartaigh
Organiser: Togra Fiontar & Cultúr Uladh CTR
County: Donegal
Sustainability and Climate Heritage Award
Awarded to an event that incorporated sustainable practices or raised awareness about climate change’s impact on heritage and the importance of sustainability.
Winning Event: Cuan Beo Weekend of Marine Heritage Themed Events
Organiser: Cuan Beo
County: Galway Cuan Beo's annual events at the Cruinniú na mBád festival in Kinvara are a significant highlight, offering a platform to engage communities in environmental, heritage, and economic issues. By focusing on reconnecting the land and sea, Cuan Beo bridges the gap between people and place. This year's events included a flat-bottom boat exhibition showcasing traditional oyster dredging methods, panel discussions on river ecology and flood management, marine research presentations, and environmental group forums. Additionally, Cuan Beo highlighted its native oyster restoration project and Source to Sea education program, which aims to inspire future generations to protect and conserve marine ecosystems.
Runners-Up
Event: Beaumont Blitz
Organiser: Cork Nature Network
County: Cork
Event: Wild Bee Festival 2024
Organiser: National Biodiversity Data Centre
County: Galway City
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