Heritage Week to conclude this weekend

CONNOLLY, Ireland - Aug. 21, 2013 - PRLog -- More than half of the 80 scheduled events focusing on County Clare’s built, natural & cultural heritage will be held between now and Sunday.

Some of the events taking place daily include dolphin watching in the Shannon Estuary (9am-6pm), guided tours of Ennis Friary (10am-5pm), Cliffs of Moher; Discover the Roots of Your Family Name (9am-8pm), Historic Buildings, Gardens & Parks, Feakle (12-6pm), Vandeleur Walled Gardens & Exhibition (12-4.30pm), Tulla Arts Trail (8am-11pm), Scattery Island tour (10.15am-6pm), Dan Furey Weekend in Labasheeda, and Burren Geopark Heritage Walking Trails (10am-5pm).

Thursday’s events include the annual Famine Memorial Mass in Tuamgraney (7-8pm), a talk on the effectiveness of smartphone applications in promoting Clare’s heritage, Ennis Town Council (8.00-9.30pm), and ‘Explore Burren Landscapes’, Burren Outdoor Education Centre (10.00am-9.00pm). On Friday there will be a guided walk of Templemaley Church and Graveyard and Ballyhee Cutting (7-8.30pm), illustrated talk on renewable energy at De Valera Library (12-1.30pm), guided walk at Dromaan harbour by wildlife enthusiast Paddy Madden (7pm).

On Saturday, there will be tours of The Merchant’s House, Kilrush (12.30-3.30pm),  Fossils, Flowers and Farming by the Seashore, Blackhead (2-6pm), Killaloe Ballina Heritage Week (10am-6pm), Traditional Skills at Scarriff Community College (1-6pm), Treasure Hunt and fun with Flowers, Caves and the Sea Shore, Doolin (11am-1pm), and Readings and Seminars, The Salmon Bookshop, Ennistymon (10am-6pm)

Heritage Week concludes on Sunday with Mooghaun Family Heritage Day (1.00-5.00pm), Open Day at Loop Head Lightkeeper’s House (10.00am-4.00pm), Walking Tour of Kilrush Great Famine Sites (2.30-5.30pm), Butterfly Hunt in the Burren National Park (2.00-3.00pm), and a tour of the Clare Heritage and Genealogy Centre, Corofin (2.00-3.00pm)

Meanwhile, members of the public are being invited to upload their Heritage Week photographs and memories of a specific event to the 'My Heritage' Facebook page or via www.heritageweek.ie.  All submissions will automatically be entered into this year's ‘Event Organiser Awards’ under the new category; 'Best Submission to My Heritage'.

Clare Local Authorities and The Heritage Council are coordinating Clare Heritage Week 2013 in conjunction with The Heritage Council, with support from the Department of Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht and Fáilte Ireland. Heritage Week also is part of European Heritage Days, a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Union.