11.08.2015
Heritage Week Events in Dublin and Glendalough
National Heritage Week runs from August 22 to 30 and this year it is celebrating 20 years since its foundation. The week offers opportunities for people to get involved with the heritage of Ireland. Throughout Dublin and Glendalough, churches will be opening their doors to enable people to explore their history.
In Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Heritage Week events get underway on Monday August 24. There will be guided tours, music, art and children’s activities. There will be daily tours of the cathedral providing insights into the cathedral’s context, its history, its treasury and its Magna Carta exhibition. For a full list of Christ Church’s Heritage Week activities see: http://christchurchcathedral.ie/events/heritage-week-mon-24th-august-saturday-29th-august/
The programme for St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin gets underway on Saturday August 22. The cathedral is offering a veritable feast of events throughout this year’s Heritage Week including recitals, talks and tours alongside their daily offering of worship. A full list of the weeks events can be viewed here: http://www.stpatrickscathedral.ie/Heritage-Week.aspx
St Doulagh’s Church in Balgriffin, Ireland’s oldest stone roofed church still in continuous use as a centre of Christian worship, will be open with a varied programme for Heritage Week. There will be guided tours and stories from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm on Saturday August 22, from 2.00 pm to 7.00 pm on Sunday August 23 and from 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm on Thursday August 27. Also on Thursday, from 8.00 pm to 10.00 pm, Roger Green from Malahide Historical Society will give a talk entitled “The Four Belcamp and Three St Doulagh’s Houses. On Saturday August 29 there will be guided tours and stories from 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm and at 4.15 pm Ken McAlister will give a talk entitled “The New Church at St Doulagh’s” with tours continuing afterwards until 6.00 pm. Tours and stories continue on Sunday August 30 from 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm. Admission is free, however donations towards the upkeep and repair of this “Jewel in Fingal’s Crown” are welcome.
In June 2014, a group of parishioners from the Parish of Celbridge and Straffan with Newcastle–Lyons, got together to organise a host of events for Heritage Week. The aim was two–fold. Firstly, to document the history of this community, and the historic buildings in which weekly worship continues to this day and secondly, to open up these buildings and their stories to the wider community. Guided tours, children’s activities and a Heritage Songs of Praise were among the events which took place over two weekends in late August last year.
On the back of this success, the Heritage Team has regrouped and will be hosting even more events this August. The theme of National Heritage Week this year is Ireland’s Industrial and Design Heritage and the events in all three churches will reflect this.
On Saturday August 22 in Straffan (pictured), the regular car–boot sale will take place in the morning followed in the afternoon, by guided tours of the Neo–Gothic church, displays by master craftsmen and children’s activities. The following weekend, August 29 and 30, Christ Church Celbridge will throw open its doors for a pop–up exhibition on the work of Sir Thomas Drew and S. H. Bolton, the architect and builder of the current church building.
Finally, St Finian’s at Newcastle–Lyons will be open on SundayAugust 30. The Medieval Church and adjoining Glebe will offer guided tours, children’s activities and a book sale.
Entry to the events at all three churches is free of charge and refreshments will be available. For more information and updates, visit www.facebook.com/CSNLParish or www.heritageweek.ie
St Audoen’s Church and Visitor Centre
in Cornmarket, Dublin 8,will be open throughout Heritage Week with lunchtime tours, children’s activities and talks about the church and its surrounding area. A full list of the events can be found at: http://www.heritageweek.ie/whats-on/search-results?KeyWord=St+Audoen%27s&Location=&EventType=&Date=&UserControls%3A_ctl0%3AbtnSearch=Search