More than 230 events across Cork as part of National Heritage Week

THE annual National Heritage Week kicks off across the country from Saturday August 13 until the following Sunday August 21. In Cork, there are over 230 events scheduled across the nine day celebration of Irish heritage and history.

This Saturday, Cork Heritage Open Day will see over 30 of Cork’s landmark buildings open their doors to the public for free, inviting them to explore their rich and vibrant history.

There is a jam packed programme of events and tours in participating buildings such as Cork City Hall, the Firkin Crane, Heineken Brewery, Cork Opera House, the Everyman, the Courthouse, and Cork Savings Bank, and there are also five suggested self-walking tours between buildings, and events ongoing throughout the day such as an open air market in Nano Nagle Place and the 10th Annual Coal Quay family festival.

Across the week, there are free guided tours in plenty of locations around Cork, to get to know your own local heritage, and check out your local library for archive exhibitions, with several also giving advice and guidance for people who are interested in tracing their own ancestral heritage.

The Ellen Hutchins Festival is taking place in and around Bantry Bay during Heritage Week, inspired by Ireland’s first female botanist, with events ranging from basket-making demonstrations to botanical art classes. Try your hand at coin striking or Viking bead making with the School of Irish Archaeology, row a traditional Irish Currach on the River Lee with Shandon Boat Club, or dance the night away at the traditional Dancing at the Crossroads in Glengoura.

Cork Folklore Project and UCC’s Department of Folklore & Ethnology will be presenting “Catching Stories of Infectious Disease in Ireland” - a collection of oral testimonies and responses relating to infectious diseases in Ireland.

The week also features a public premiere of two films that celebrate Michael Collins, in the Imperial Hotel in Cork where Collins spent his last night. An Bailitheoir, The Collector, is a multi-award winning short film featuring Pat O’Hagan who has the biggest private collection of Irish Revolutionary Material 1913-1923, while Michael Collins: The Last Days Documentary explores the events leading up to Collins’ tragic death almost 100 years ago.

For the full schedule of events, visit https://www.heritageweek.ie/