Busiest Ever Clare Heritage Week Programme Is Announced

Aug. 2, 2012 - PRLog -- The 10th annual celebration of County Clare’s built, natural and cultural heritage is being coordinated locally by Clare County Council and The Heritage Council, with support from Fáilte Ireland and the Department of Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht. Heritage Week also is part of European Heritage Days, a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Union.

Heritage Week 2012 will feature a series of events focusing on Clare’s heritage through the numerous guided walks and lectures taking place in venues around the County, including at local museums and libraries.

Mayor of Clare Councillor Pat Daly is urging members of the public to participate in the events taking place across County Clare. He added: “I wish to pay tribute to the many individuals and community organisations that are participating in and contributing to Heritage Week 2012. I would like to commend Clare County Council and the organisers of dozens of events for encouraging a greater sense of ownership of and respect for the County’s unique and rich heritage.”

“Heritage Week has proven to be a wonderful vehicle for involving people across Clare in raising awareness of the role we all play in conserving and protecting our heritage for future generations. Furthermore, the events provide children with an ideal opportunity to enjoy the end of their summer holidays before returning to school at the end of the month,” added Mayor Daly.

According to Congella McGuire, Clare Heritage Officer: “Heritage Week has been running for ten years. It continues to grow from strength to strength with more communities becoming involved. It is an opportunity for us all to highlight Clare’s wonderful heritage. There are a wide range of events scheduled to take place this year. Many events are free of charge and advance booking is advised.”

“Clare County Council, the Heritage Council and Clare Heritage Forum wish to thanks all the individuals and community groups who are taking part in Heritage Week. In particular, we wish to acknowledge the great work done by individuals and groups with an interest in all aspects of heritage in the County,” concluded Ms. McGuire.

On Saturday 18 August from 7 to 8pm, the “Spirit of Lough Derg” series will get underway with a talk at Mountshannon Hotel hosted by Allan Mee of the Golden Eagle Trust on the White Tailed Sea Eagles that nested in Mountshannon this year, the first of the species to do so in Ireland in over a century. From 10am to 6pm, the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre will present a “Nature Display Area” featuring collected items of local natural heritage. At the same time, the Shannon Traditional Boat Club will host a display at the Skycourt Shopping Centre of boat built by club members as well as the history behind the project. At 7pm, a Photographic Exhibition will be launched at Parliament Street in Ennistymon in conjunction with Built Heritage Collective (Ireland).

On Sunday 19 August from 10am to 12pm, the Clare Branch of Birdwatch Ireland is inviting members of the public to the Bridges of Ross to view seabirds as they migrate on their on their southbound passage.  From 12pm to 2:30pm, the Burren National Park Information Point at Corofin will be the location for a children’s event in which participants will offered the opportunity to explore and discover the Burren National Park through arts and crafts. Also on Sunday from 2 to 6pm, there will be a free guided tour of the 15th century church of Kilraghtis and its graveyard in Barefield. The vent will also feature the launch of a booklet containing a background to the parish and full transcriptions of the burial monuments contained within the graveyard and church. From 2 to 5pm, the OPW will host a free guided tour of the Scattery Island Monastic Trail taking in the island’s archaeology, history and natural habitat of grassland and wildlife. “The Medicine and Folklore of Burren Wildflowers” will be the subject of an informative and entertaining guided walk celebrating the folklore and medicinal value of Burren wildflowers from 10am to 12pm. The walk will be led from Gortlecka Cross in Kilnaboy by herbalist Vivienne Campbell and author Tony Kirby. Elsewhere, the Office of Public Works (OPW) will provide free guided tours of the 13th century Ennis Franciscan Friary from 2 to 5pm, while Whale Watch Ireland 2012 will provide a unique opportunity for the public to take part in a land-based and guided whale watch at Ballyreen near Fanore and Loop Head Lighthouse.

On Monday 20 August from 7.30 to 9.30pm, the 10th century St. Cronans Church in Tuamgraney will be the venue for the “Celtic Traditions Folk Concert”, which is being held as part of the “Spirit of Lough Derg” series of events during Heritage Week. The concert will showcase the best of folk music and dancing from Kate Purcell and an array of local musicians and dancers. From 4 to 5pm, Cormac McGinley will lead a guided nature tour of the Cliffs of Moher. From 10am to 4pm, the Burren Outdoor Education Centre and Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark will host a “Geo Explorer Day”, during which the public will be able to explore the geology and landscape of the Burren by kayaking or hill-walking in the morning and by caving or seashore stroll in the afternoon. The “Spirit of Lough Derg” series continues from 7 to 8pm with a talk on the biodiversity and natural heritage assets of Ballycuggeran Woods. From 10am to 4pm, a workshop on the techniques behind recording a graveyard will be held at Kilmacreehy Graveyard.  The final event of the day at 8pm will see historian Leonore Fischer will give a talk on the general history of East Clare and Tuamgraney at St. Cronans in Tuamgraney, as part of the “Spirit of Lough Derg” series.

At the same venue on Tuesday 21 August from 9 to 10pm, Gerard Madden will provide an illustrated talk on "Lough Derg and Its Islands".  Earlier in the evening at 7pm, noted local historian Brian O'Dalaigh will discuss the background to the newly published Royal Irish Academy “Ennis Atlas” at De Valera Public Library in Ennis. From 3 to 4pm, earthquakes will be the subject of a walk and talk by Cormac McGinley at the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre.  The Geology theme continues from 2pm to 3:30pm at Fanore Beach when archaeologist Michael Lynch delivers a lecture on the excavation of a Late Mesolithic Shell Midden at Fanore More. From 9pm to 10:30pm, David Lyons of the Clare Bat Group will lead a dusk walk around the village of Quin during which participants will watch and listen to the local bat population. The West Clare Resource Centre in Miltown Malbay will host a Traditional Crafts & Heritage Day from 11am to 4pm. The day will feature jam making, poultry  and animal keeping, a display of goats cheese, cooking demonstration, willow sculpture, butter making, corn dollies, weave spinning, a display of quilting and spinning, storytelling with Spraoi & Cuimhneamh an Chláir, a farmers market, building a bug hotel, and a biodiversity talk. Elsewhere, Gerry Kennedy will host a genealogy event entitled “Starting your Family Tree” at 11am in Ennistymon Library and at 3pm in Miltown Malbay Library, while a children’s scavenger hunt and nature activities will take place along the nature trails of the Burren National Park from 2 to 4pm with participants meeting at Gortlecka Cross in Kilnaboy.

For more details of events taking place throughout County Clare visit www.heritageweek.ie or www.clarecoco.ie. For further information contact Congella McGuire, Heritage Officer, Clare County Council, New Road, Ennis, Co. Clare; Tel: 065-6821616; Email: cmcguire@clarecoco.ie.