Local Projects from Cork, Kerry and Galway Celebrated at Heritage Awards

Last week, several community projects developed as part of National Heritage Week were celebrated at the National Heritage Awards.

Small communities from Kerry, Cork, and Galway saw their projects chosen for one of the County Awards, with Kerry winning the special category Wild Child Award.

National Heritage Week takes place every year during the month of August. Local projects developed over that time aim to celebrate different aspects of our history and culture, as well as shine a light on Irish biodiversity and wildlife. 

Local Projects

Galway village Skehana won the County Award for Daoine & Áit - People and Place. They created four postcards that were delivered to houses in the area free of charge, in an effort to get locals 'connecting with our diaspora, (their) friends and relations.'

Meanwhile, Timoleague organisers won the Cork County Award for their project on the Church of the Ascension, Timoleague. They told the fascinating story of the church's unique stained-glass windows and mosaics. Check it out here on their heritage page. 

A creative collaboration between Kerry Archaeological & Historical Society, Kerry County Museum and Kerry County Council saw Kerry win the Wild Child Award for the 'Primary School Project: Explore Your Local Heritage.' Eleven national schools across the county shone a light on an aspect of their local heritage with a range of artistic and innovative projects. Read more about it here on the National Heritage Week website.

Elsewhere in Kerry, Tralee Rowing Club were awarded the Kerry County Award for their project, 'An ecological investigation of the Tralee Ship Canal.' They engaged with consultants, Aquafact, to uncover what kind of wildlife thrives below the surface of the ancient ship canal, which forms part of a popular walking route in the Tralee area. More on what they discovered here.  

Congratulations to the winners and well done to everyone who got involved on a local level with Heritage Week 2021. Excellent work was done to highlight our towns' and villages' history, biodiversity, and beauty.