Heritage Week 2021

Heritage Week in Sligo– A Great Success!

Heritage Week in Sligo– A Great Success! Heritage Week is highlighted by (L to R) Cllr. Paul Taylor Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Wendy Lyons Vice-Chair of Sligo Heritage Forum, Siobhán Ryan Heritage Officer with Sligo County Council and Cllr Donal Gilroy Chair of Sligo Heritage Forum. Photo James Connolly - Picsell8.

Wow, what a week! This year Heritage Week in Sligo has been a great success! The event took place from Saturday, August 14th to Sunday, August 22nd 2021 and was coordinated by The Heritage Council and Local Authority Heritage Officers.

In response to public health guidelines relating to COVID-19, National Heritage Week moved away from in person events only, and invited heritage enthusiasts to create projects that could be shared online. Project organisers met this challenge with great innovation and creativity, produced over 28 heritage projects in Sligo - ensuring that National Heritage Week remained a vibrant celebration of the county’s heritage.  Many of this year’s Heritage Week events are still available to view online at www.heritageweek.ie

Each year Heritage Week is a nationwide celebration of our natural, built and cultural heritage. For 2021, Heritage Week projects focused on getting as many people to enjoy heritage as possible, with a particular focus on heritage newcomers; heritage sharing; and heritage for all ages.  Each year Heritage Week is an opportunity to build awareness and enjoyment of our heritage thereby encouraging its conservation and preservation. 

Thank you to all the project organisers who made Heritage Week 2021 amazing!  Their creativity, collaboration and dedication make National Heritage Week what it is!  Without their interest, hard work and voluntary commitment Heritage Week would not be possible.

National Heritage Week Awards 2021

All projects submitted this year will be considered by The Heritage Council for a National Heritage Week Award. National Heritage Week Awards have been expanded to include an award for the best project in each county. Projects will be assessed on the basis of their local reach and community engagement, educational value and the level to which they involve different age groups.  All participants who successfully upload a heritage project on the National Heritage Week website by Monday, 30th August 2021 will be considered for a National Heritage Week Award. For more information on the National Heritage Week Awards see www.heritageweek.ie.

Heritage Week gives us the opportunity each year to celebrate the built and natural heritage of our County, whether it is attending an online heritage event, going for a guided walk or visiting a local heritage site. Most of the Heritage sites celebrated during Heritage Week are open all year-round and are there to be explored at any time. For more information on heritage in Sligo or to find out about heritage events and updates for the rest of the year, check out Sligo Heritage Office on Facebook.