Heritage Week 2024
NATIONAL HERITAGE WEEK’S 2024 THEME INVITES THE PUBLIC TO EXPLORE THE INTERTWINED HISTORIES, KNOWLEDGE, AND SKILLS THAT REMIND US OF A SHARED PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE.
Athlone Castle Visitor Centre will once again deliver an exciting programme of events during National Heritage Week from Saturday, August 17th, to Sunday, August 25th, 2024, designed to cater to all ages. The events will be held in collaboration with a broad selection of specialist heritage experts, facilitators, artisans, and historians and supported by the Heritage Council under the Irish Walled Towns Network 2024 Interpretation Fund.
The first event, ‘GARDENING FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE’ on Saturday, 17th August, will see Athlone Castle courtyard turn into a gardening fair with demonstrations and advice on sustainable gardening from various experts and green-fingered locals. The fair would not be complete without the local makers displaying their products, with a selection of artisans and crafters showcasing their nature-inspired wares. Access to this event is included with a regular admission fee, starting at 10.30 am and ending at 5.30 pm.
There will be two stagings of ‘NATURE’S TREASURE HUNT’ on each Sunday of Heritage Week (18th and 25th August). The regular admission ticket includes the activity, which will help familiarise visitors with the new Herb Garden at Athlone Castle. It’s a fun and easy treasure hunt with educational questions spread throughout the grounds. Younger visitors will be encouraged to answer questions such as ‘What berry is a close relative of a rose?’ and ‘What herbs taste best in a soup?’
The ‘GUIDED TOUR OF ATHLONE CASTLE GARDEN’ is a new event for this year that introduces visitors to the Athlone Castle Historical Herb Garden. These mini tours are designed to encourage visitors to explore the historical importance of horticulture and the multitude of uses for common kitchen herbs and flowers in our Middle Ages-inspired Garden. The mini tours take place on Tuesday, August 20th, Thursday, August 22nd, and Friday, August 23rd. Access to this event is included with a regular admission fee. Places are limited, and pre-booking is essential.
Members of the Society for Creative Anachronism will return to Athlone Castle on Wednesday, 21st August, for the much loved ‘STORM THE CASTLE’ with a re-enactment of a medieval town market. There will be onsite demonstrations of medieval cooking with herbs, dyes and pigment making, fibre art including nalbinding, lucet braiding and much more. This year Westcountry Willows will join in, demonstrating basket weaving techniques. Jack Pinson will showcase the craftsmanship of pole lathe turning and Tóla Collier will take on the role of a Medieval Barber/ surgeon and explore the topic of herbal medicines from the medieval world. A selection of period costumes will be available for visitors to try on throughout the day, with traditional games to be enjoyed by one and all. Admission to the event will be free for all visitors. The event starts at 10.30 am and ends at 5.30 pm.
Saturday, August 24th, will see a series of family-friendly workshops and demonstrations on pollinators. For ‘BEE CREATIVE,’ visitors will join Jesmond Harding, an expert on some of Ireland’s smallest residents, such as butterflies, for talks and demonstrations starting at 11 am. Jesmond will outline pollinators’ hidden lives and their crucial role. There will be a drop-in workshop to make ‘stained glass’ paper suncatchers, perfect for decorating garden spaces. Access to this event is included with a regular admission fee, starting at 10.30 am and ending at 4.30pm.
All the 2024 Heritage Week events at Athlone Castle, County Westmeath are supported by the Heritage Council under the Irish Walled Towns Network 2024 Interpretation Fund.
For further details on events and bookings, visit www.athlonecastle.ie/events
