Fingal gets ready to celebrate National Heritage Week

Get ready to celebrate Fingal’s rich heritage during National Heritage Week 2025 from August 16th-24th.

There are a wide range of events taking place in Fingal including walks, talks, tours, exhibitions and more. National Heritage Week, is a celebration of Ireland’s archaeological, built natural and cultural heritage and aims to promote awareness of Ireland’s heritage, thereby encouraging its conservation and preservation.

A Heritage Council programme, National Heritage Week brings together communities, families, organisations, cultural institutions, academics and enthusiasts. This year’s theme ‘Exploring our Foundations’ invites us to celebrate the building blocks of heritage from landscapes to buildings and traditional skills to stories.

Celebrate 10 Years of Community Archaeology in Fingal with an exhibition in Swords Castle or take part in some post-excavation. How about an architectural tour of Malahide Castle or Newbridge House, available in Irish and English?

Come to Skerries to learn about historic street furniture; visit Portmarnock to participate in Fingal Coastal Zone’s project or join members of the Fingal Heritage Network in Malahide for Fingal Heritage Night on the 20th August to share short talks on their local areas.Get to see inside buildings with a tour of St Mary’s Church & Graveyard by Clonsilla & Porterstown Heritage, a tour of St Doulagh’s Church in Kinsealy or walk through the historical demesne of Kenure with Rush Tourism or the blow the cobwebs away with the coastal Eire 6 Howth – Walk & Talk.

There will be an opportunity to hear about Fingal’s Food Heritage at Swords Food Market and to learn about biodiversity with Nature Workshop in Baldoyle and Facts about Bats in Donabate.To celebrate our native language, people are invited to to a free evening of Ceol, Craic agus Gaeilge in County Hall Swords on Monday August 18.

Fingal County Council will also launch a podcast as Gaeilge featuring some Fingal staff and what Heritage means to them, and people can visit Malahide Castle or Newbridge House and enjoy a guided tour as Gaeilge.Mayor of Fingal Cllr Tom O’Leary said “Heritage Week is a great opportunity to enjoy and celebrate our rich Heritage in Fingal. Congratulations to Heritage Officer Christine Baker and to everyone who has organised the fantastic range of events and projects taking place. I encourage you to attend some of the many informative talks, walks, exhibitions and workshops across the county, providing an opportunity to enjoy Fingal’s Heritage in a huge variety of ways”Fingal Heritage Officer Christine Baker said “his year’s theme is Exploring our Foundations which is about connecting communities to the building blocks of our heritage from the landscape to the buildings in it and the skills, stories and memories of those past, that we have built our present on. So whether its walks or readings, exhibitions or traditional music there is something for everyone to enjoy during Heritage Week 2025 in Fingal.
For the full programme visit www.heritageweek.ie