Pictures: Heritage Week serves up a feast with almost 60 events in Kilkenny

National Heritage Week, which took place from August 12-20, has wrapped up for another year.

The week saw a colourful range of events and projects celebrating all aspects of our heritage take place across the county as communities, families, holiday makers and people of all ages and backgrounds got out and explored their heritage. Close to 60 events took place across Kilkenny.

National Heritage Week is a Heritage Council Programme and the theme for this year was ‘Living Heritage’ — defined as the practices, knowledge and skills passed from one generation to the next, and are still in use today.

A Meitheal in Rathbeagh organised by the Acorn Project attracted a sold-out crowd as a day of scything with Chris Hayes and a farmland pollinator walk with Dr Fiona MacGowan was enjoyed by all. There was also a beautiful exhibition of original photographs, taken from Donovan Silversmiths' private collection, showcasing creations from the Donovan Workshop spanning over 50 years and three generations in Thomastown.

Highlights of this year’s programme included a tour of the city walls by archaeologist Cóilín Ó Drisceoil to a crowd of over 70 participants organised by Kilkenny County Council Heritage Office and a Barn Owl talk at the Rivercourt Hotel given by John Lusby form Birdwatch Ireland, organised by Kilkenny County Council’s biodiversity officer Bernadette Moloney.

Kilkenny libraries did not disappoint, with a wide-ranging and engaging programme of events from biodiversity walks to genealogy sessions; a whistle-stop review of the Decade of Centenaries, and a reminder of times passed by Anne Karoline Distel who delivered a workshop on mapping milk churn stands at Castlecomer Library.

Larry Scallan flew the military heritage flag with pride leading groups through Kilkenny in 1923 each evening of Heritage Week and also with tours of the museum at James Stephens Barracks.

Kilkenny Castle hosted a range of free tours in different languages and an archaeology workshop. Visitors to Rothe House had the pleasure of guided tours of the garden and a lecture on the Ros Tapestry. The Medieval Mile Museum delighted attendees with stories of gravedigging, cats and witches, and St Canice’s Cathedral collected memories of the cathedral and enthralled children at storytelling events.

“Heritage Week was embraced by so many local communities such as The Rower, Tullahought, Thomastown, Piltown, Ennisnag, Kells, Mullinavat, Castlecomer, Callan to name but a few, said Heritage Officer Regina Fitzpatrick.

“It was heartening to see such large attendances out enjoying their local heritage, among them our Minister for Heritage Malcolm Noonan who came along to support so many of the events taking place.”