The National Heritage Week 2014 programme in County Clare has been expanded to bring to more than 80 the number of events taking place from this Saturday through to Sunday, August 31, it has been announced.
Co-ordinated by Clare County Council and The Heritage Council, with support from the Department of Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht, and Fáilte Ireland, the annual initiative will once again focus on Clare’s built, natural and cultural heritage.
Some of the highlights of Heritage Week 2014 include a commemoration of the life of submarine inventor and Liscannor native John P Holland, a tour of tower houses around Shannon Town, a lecture on the life of an Kilrush-born Boer War General Sir Thomas Kelly-Kenny, a Victorian Heritage Walk around Kilkee, a tour of Lisdoonvarna’s famous restorative waters, and a recital of traditional Irish tunes on the uilleann pipes by Matt Horsely at Ennis Friary.
The centenary of the outbreak of World War One is also being marked with a lecture by historian Cormac O’ Comhrai’s on life in Ireland during the Great War, while Killaloe will also be marking the millennial anniversary of the death of Brian Boru.
Meanwhile, annual festivals such as the Tulla Week of Welcomes and the Dan Furey Weekend in Labasheeda are holding heritage events as part of the weeklong celebration.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.