Offaly playing host to a massive 70 different events during Heritage Week

Heritage Week is a wonderful opportunity to explore your county and get to see many sites and places that are not always open, or to see them with a guide to shed new light. This year there are over 70 different events to choose from in Offaly! While the week is coordinated by the heritage team in Offaly County Council, many of the events are hosted by communities and owners who are keen to welcome you to explore their place. The majority of the events are free to attend. A huge thanks to all our event hosts, who make it all happen.

Pick up a County Offaly Heritage Booklet from your local library or Council office or look up www.heritageweek.ie for more details!

Behind the Scenes

Several properties will be open with tours just for Heritage Week. This year Tullamore Courthouse is offering tours for the first time; family homes at No 6 High Street, Loughton House, Gloster House, Tullanisk House, St Anne’s in Kilcormac and Ballybrittan Castle are all open but you will need to book! Charleville Castle (Sat 17th 12pm to 3pm) and Clonmacnoise (Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th) are open during the year but are free for these dates.

Clara Heritage will host a talk ‘Recalling the IRA attack on Clara Barracks on 2 June 1920’ exploring this incident, its aftermath, and the impact on the town of Clara and surrounding area. The talk will take place in the actual building attacked on that night 104 years ago, hosted by local historians Tara McGrath, Aidan Doyle, Larry Fleming and Pat McLoughlin. Thursday 22nd at 8pm in the Mill House.

Vernacular Architecture – tours, talk and film night!

A firm favorite for Heritage Week is a tour of Carrigeen Farmhouse in Five Alley – hosted by the Egan family. The wonderful work the Egan family have done over the years led them to be named the national Heritage Heros in 2020. Their house has a unique range of fixtures and fittings which many people remember from their childhood but are long gone in so many cases. The tours will be held on the weekend of the 17th and 18th.

National vernacular architecture expert Barry O’Reilly will give a talk on Thursday 22nd in John’s Hall, Birr at 6pm. He will provide a picture of Offaly’s vernacular heritage and an update on what the State is doing to help the owners to live and conserve their homes.

Esker Arts is hosting an evening on Tuesday 20th which will feature films from the National Museum of Ireland collection featuring Bill Egan from Clonfinlough; Building a load of hay on a cart –Making a Straw rope; making a wooden bird crib and making a clothes basket featuring Ciaran D’Arcy Clonascra. Afterwards two new films from 2024 featuring the tradition of basket making with Padraig Larkin and ‘God in a Bottle’ featuring makers Pat Gorman of Killurin and Eddie Hendricks from Shannonbridge will be shown

For the whole week there is an exhibition at Tullamore Library of hand-sewn dolls made by the women of the Chatters and Matters Tullamore Traveller’s Women’s Shed. These dolls were made as part of ‘Threading Needles, Telling Stories’, a storytelling through doll-making project led by Artist and doll-maker Teresa Doyle.

Exploring Landscapes

A lecture by James Scully of Offaly History is always a joy! On Tuesday 20th Offaly Tullamore Library is hosting a talk by James focused on the Grand Canal. The talk will be in the form of a miscellany with readings from the writings of Jim Brennan of Daingean, Brian O'Nolan aka Flann O'Brien, Michael Hensey, late of Tullamore, John Doyle of Ferbane and many others, and music composed by Paddy O' Brien of Daingean, Frank Kelly, James Lynam Molloy and others. James will narrate the presentation and will be joined by talented musicians Siobhán Godley, (flute), Aidan Barry, (guitar) and Frank Kelly (accordion).

On Friday 23rd there is a tour of the work that is ongoing at the Sculpture Park at Lough Boora Discovery Centre led by sculptor Michael Burke. On the same day John Feehan is leading a tour exploring the eskers around Birr.

On Saturday 24th Clara Heritage Society are hosting a celebration of the River Brosna with story and song. The theme will be developed in Ballycumber’s ‘Folly Tales and Treasure Trails’ on Sunday 25th.

Nature Events

Have you ever heard of nature journaling? There are three workshops being held on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th in the gorgeous grounds of Mount Briscoe house near Daingean. Discover fresh and interesting ways to increase your curiosity and develop a calm and compassionate awareness of the natural world where you will be guided through note taking, sketching and photography to develop your creativity and experience joy in the everyday.

There is something about the experience of being out at dusk and using a bat detector – this family friendly event is being held in Syngefield in Birr on Thursday 22nd.

For those interested in focusing in on insect and plant life – there is a stroll of Noggus Bog near Ferbane - by booking only on Thursday 22nd.

Doorey Wood Guided Walk – many may be familiar with the looped walk on the open Clara Bog but there is a most interesting walk on the other half of the bog accessible from the Tullamore Road which goes through esker, bog and farmland. This will be led by the staff from the NPWS Clara Bog Visitor Centre

The tours of Fancroft Mill (close to Roscrea but in Offaly!) are always popular – this year the event starts early with the opening of moth traps at 8am, Saturday 24th, a light breakfast follows with a tour of the mill complex. Booking required!

The same morning but at the later time of 10.30am – the Native Woodland Trust are leading a walk through their Forelacka – Camcor reserve near Kinnitty.

Did you Know?

In 1843 workmen outside Shinrone happened upon a dark woollen dress buried in peat. By May of that year, the Gown's importance was recognised, and it subsequently changed hands among several collectors. Today, the dress is recognised as an early seventeenth example and a unique survivor.

Some four hundred years later, 'Unstitching the 17th Century Shinrone Gown' is a celebration of this unique part of our social and material culture. Shinrone Heritage Group has commissioned a historically correct replica of the Shinrone Gown based on a technical examination of the original in the National Museum of Ireland. This process will be presented by artist Rosalind Fanning, seamstress Bernie Stapleton, and Irish medieval costume historian Kass McGann. And to add to the evening; Janet White-Spunner and friends will be demonstrating traditional spinning and weaving and are keen for the public to have a go themselves. Interested in hearing more – come along on Friday 23rd.

Edenderry and Daingean

On Wednesday 21st, Edenderry library host Dr Ciaran Reilly who will explain how recently discovered archives shed light on the impact of the Great Famine in the Edenderry and Rhode area. The same evening, Daingean Development Association are hosting a walk of the Daingean exploring their new QR codes.

Kids’ Specials

Those who experience the wonder of a bird in the hand often come back years later with such positive memories – there will be a demonstration of Swallow bird ringing at Pallas Lake on Sunday 25th at 8.30pm. The birds roost communally in the reedbed at Pallas Lake before returning to Africa for the winter, this gives an opportunity to safely catch and ring the birds (before safely releasing) allowing for biological data to be collected giving us a further understanding of their ecology and migration.

On Wednesday 21st, the Astronomical Observatories of Ireland welcome you to Birr Castle Demesne for Whirlpool Workshops that are suitable for children aged 8 to 13 years. Children must be accompanied by an adult. This is a free workshop and both children and adults must have tickets to attend.

Offaly Libraries are hosting honeybee pollination workshops - aimed for children, eight years old and above. The workshop consists of an interactive presentation where children become beekeepers with an educational honeybee. Exploring elements including hive pollen, handling beekeeping equipment and the opportunity to taste local honey.

Ballycumber are hosting a Kids Event on Sunday 25th from 2pm - 4pm which will include a Foraging workshop, Treasure hunt, Art Exhibition, Flag presentations – special award presentation.

Monastic Sites, Castles, Churches and burial grounds

From exploring the memorials at Shinrone Church of Ireland, Bully’s Acre in Birr to St Carthage’s Church of Ireland in Rahan followed by a screening of the film series about Lemanaghan to a tour of Lis Graveyard near Boher there is a great opportunity to get to know more about graveyards!

Two churches will be explored on the Offaly History walking tour on Sunday 18th meeting at Durrow Roman Catholic Church and proceeding to the old Durrow Church of Ireland which is now a private residence.

The winners of last year’s Heritage Week County award were Bracknagh Heritage Group and this year they have arranged for a return visit to St Brochan’s monastery and well on Sunday 18th from 2pm to 4pm.

The medieval, now ruined St Brendan’s church in Birr is part of a tour by Birr 2020 Vision on Wednesday 21st outlining conservation plans, which will then move to St. Brendan’s Church of Ireland on Oxmantown Mall and onto another Birr 2020 Vision project at Birr Courthouse.

Birr Historical Society are partnering with the Irish Heritage School to take a closer look at the remains of Clonoghill Castle at Syngefield at 11am on Monday 19th August. Meeting at Syngefield gates.