Hartys Bar, Cloyne - Story Telling and traditional Music

This event took place on 21/08/11 at 14:30 and was organised by the Cloyne Literary and Historical Society. Music and stories were provided on the afternoon by Michael Greaney and friends who not only gave fantastic short stories to those in attendance but also played some superb traditional Irish music. The event was enjoyed by all, with approxiamtely 30 people in attendance. 

   

Community Center, Togher - The National Education System in Ireland

This event took place on 22/08/11 at 20:00 and was organised by Togher Community Association Ltd. with additional input from the Heritage Unit of Cork County Council. The talk was provided by Elena O' Brien (Dept. of Archaeology, UCC) who provided a most interesting trip back in time to the beginning of the national education system in Ireland, touching on Hedge Schools and Industrial Schools and provided a number of fascinating photos from throughout the years. The event was enjoyed immensely by all those in attendance which included the Lord Mayor, Tim Lombard, who gave an opening address at the talk.


Library, Macroom - Environmental Citizenship Lecture

This event took place on 23/08/11 at 12:00 and was organised by Macroom Library. The talk was provided by Teddy Cook who provided a most fascinating talk on a number of environmental and heritage issues affecting the country at the moment and what the general public can do to address same in their own way. The talk covered EU legislation, the Brehon Law and also included a number of interesting points on our trees and other flora and fauna. Teddy came accross as a very knowledgeable and experienced speaker and the lecture proved most informative for all those in attendance, approx. 50 persons. 


West Cork Heritage Centre, Bandon - Journey Through The Past

This was a week long event that took place in the the West Cork Heritage Centre, located in an old church built approximately 400 years ago in Bandon. On show in the museum were a number of old artifacts, materials and equipment, and together with the backdrops created, the Journey Through The Past really lived up to its name highlighting the days gone by in relation to school in the 18th century, the village pub/shop and of course the old country homestead. The guide there on the day was also most informative and enthusiastic and added to the overall experience. During the week in the West Cork Heritage Centre, there was also a number of smaller events including storey telling, butter making, music and folklore. Overall this was a fantasic event.




County Hall - Tom Crean and The Endurance Legacy

This event took place on 24/08/11 at 20:00 and was organised by the Heritage Unit of Cork County Council with significant support from Catryn Power. The talk was provided by Jerry Ahern who was a member of the Beyond Endurance Irish Expedition to Antarctica in 2006. Jerry, through his own individual experience and with the aid of videos and photographs helped to re-live the journey that was made by Tom Crean 90 years ago. It was a fantastic event and everyone present thoroughly enjoyed it. Jerry also very kindly provided a number of books on Antarctica which were raffled free of charge to participants at the event. Of additional note is that the Mayor, Tim Lombard, kindly gave an opening address at the talk.




Kinsale - Don and Barry's Kinsale Historic Stroll

This fantastic tour takes place throughout the summer in Kinsale and was therefore a welcome addition to the number of events that could also be included for the list of events taking place during Heritage Week. I attended the walk on the 25th August at 11:15 and found the guide Barry, to be most knowledgable and friendly with a terrific insight into the fabulous history of Kinsale. The talk/tour to the present 20 or so persons, lasted approximately an hour and a half and took in elements of the built heritage, how the town has changed over the centuries, the importance of the harbour and even provided an insight into the ways of the Irish dating back 100's of years ago. I would highly recommend this tour and I do hope it can be featured as part of the Heritage Week Events scheduled for 2012




Glengarriff Hotel - Garinish Island - Murdo MacKenzie

This event took place on 25/08/11 at 20:00 and was organised by the Glengarriff Tourism and Development Association. The talk, which included a number of fantastic speakers detailed the life and work of Murdo MacKenzie who was the head gardener on Garinish Island for a time period spanning 6 decades (from 1928 up until his retirement in 1971). The event was very pleasant and relaxed and thouroughly enjoyed by the 50 plus people present


Ballincollig Castle - Guided Tour

This event took place on 28/08/11 at 14:00 and was organised by the Muskerry History Society in tandem with the Ballincollig Heritage Association. The tour was given by Dr. Paul MacCotter of UCC who was quite knowledgable and his talk covered the fascinating history of the castle and its various phases of construction, having first been built between 1395 and 1397. The 85 persons or so present on the day thoroughly enjoyed the tour which was not only educational but also very enjoyable.