Fabulous Mountcharles Heritage Week event wins national award

Mountcharles Heritage Week event From Salt to Stone won the Connections, Routes & Networks National Heritage award, with two other Donegal events also honoured.

The group behind the fantastic Mountcharles event were crowned winners at the awards ceremony in Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, Dublin on Friday, November 15.

Winifred McNulty of the Mountcharles Heritage Committee said: “The event was a celebration of the history and characters who once lived in that hill top village but also a celebration of the community coming together to remember how resilient all our ancestors were how they lived through difficult times, how they emigrated and returned, how they made incredible strides to create the country they wanted to live in. 

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“The event was possible because of the gathering of stories, the telling of stories from Helen Meehan’s wonderful books on Inver Parish and Ethna Carbery and her inspiration to keep the heritage of the Inver area alive, the long standing work of the Heritage group and all the other historians, storytellers, writers and filmmakers in the area, but it also included stories gathered from Grandparents by the school children in the area and interviews gathered from people who remember the trains, the dance hall, the dressmaking, the tennis courts, the cinema, the horseraces, the golf pitch.

“‘Everybody needs everybody else’ was a quote used by Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh whose family presented a new heritage award at the ceremony, and that sunny day in August it was clear how every single contribution, no matter how small, to the Mountcharles event was really important and thanks are due to everyone who helped in any way and to the many people who came to the event.

“Without you, we would never have been at Kilmainham collecting this award. It belongs to everybody.”

The award will be on display at Britton’s Village Pharmacy in Mountcharles.

Two other Donegal groups were honoured at the Heritage Council awards.

Togra Fiontar & Cultúr Uladh CTR was recognised as a runner-up in the Irish Language Award category for their vibrant festival, ‘Féile Saibhreas Mhachaire Rabhartaigh’. 

The event celebrated Donegal’s rich linguistic heritage, offering a wide range of activities conducted through Irish. Participants enjoyed storytelling, traditional music, cultural displays and community events designed to deepen engagement with the Irish language through our heritage. 

The Donegal County Heritage Award was presented to Ionad Naomh Pádraig, Doirí Beaga for its outstanding project ‘Teampall agus Reilig Mhachaire Gathlán’. 

This initiative project involves the preparation of a conservation management plan for the old church and historic graveyard at Machaire Gathlán. For National Heritage Week, Ionad Naomh Pádraig highlighted the history, heritage, religious and cultural significance of the site through presentations, cultural artefacts, music and song. In doing so, it engaged the local community to deepen their understanding of the archaeological, built and cultural heritage associated with the site.  

Donegal’s Heritage Officer Dr Joe Gallagher said: “The recognition of these community-based heritage initiatives in County Donegal at national level is a fitting acknowledgement of the tremendous community and voluntary efforts that go into making Heritage Week in County Donegal the success it is.

“There were over 120 events organised for Heritage Week in County Donegal.  There were almost 2,400 events taking place countrywide for National Heritage Week so the recognition awarded these County Donegal-based community groups is all the more impressive.  

“Their work serves to highlight the importance of our built, cultural and natural heritage to our sense of place, our well-being, our local economy and our tourism industry.”