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22 Dec 2025
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22 Dec 2025
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Staff and students celebrate 25 years of Heritage in School
The Heritage Council is celebrating 25 years of the Heritage in School (HIS) scheme which has had Kilkenny at its heart with over 1160 visits to 116 schools since 2012.
The scheme has engaged 1.7m children nationally since its launch in 2000 and this anniversary marks a significant milestone in Irish education.
Over the past quarter of a century, HIS has enriched the education experience of Irish primary schoolchildren through visits from heritage specialists that inspire a deeper understanding and appreciation of local heritage.
The programme sees children introduced to topics like culture, genealogy, folklore, oral heritage and local history, using local monuments, archaeological objects, art, documents, architectural heritage, flora, fauna, geology, parks and inland waterways.
From talks about bats and whales to Vikings and the history of bread, these specialists have lit up classrooms throughout the country, inspiring a new generation to take more interest in their surroundings.
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HIS has expanded hugely since its inception 25 years ago - from 49 specialists making 187 school visits in 2000, to 128 specialists making over 3,000 visits in 2024.
Since Heritage Council records began, more than 28,000 specialist visits in total have been made to over 3,200 schools nationwide.
Virginia Teehan, Chief Executive of The Heritage Council, underlined the programme’s unique role in Irish education.
“It has been so amazing to see the impact that the Heritage in School Scheme has had here in Kilkenny”, she said. “Our county has such rich heritage, and it is so important that all children get the opportunity to experience this”.
“The impact of Heritage in Schools at the primary level curriculum has been vital. This programme allows the children to have the opportunity to engage with heritage specialists, sometimes in the field, to explore their place and get a better understanding of where they live and an appreciation of the place in which they are based”.
“Heritage in School is an important programme because it is one of the few opportunities that children get to understand their place and their own sense of identity, and it gives them that unique chance in their early years to shape themselves and understand where they’re from”, she concluded.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
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This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
