Heritage Council invites nominations from Cork event organisers for National Heritage Week Awards

The Heritage Council has announced details of this year’s National Heritage Week Awards, inviting nominations from all event organisers in Cork. Every year, the Heritage Council seeks nominations for individuals or groups of people who showcased successful heritage projects and hosted engaging events during the festival.

Among the winners from Cork last year were the Ballincollig Heritage Festival for their Gunpowdermill Walk and Talk which saw local historian Jenny Webb lead a tour of Ballincollig’s historic Gunpowdermills, one of the largest industrial archaeological sites in Ireland. The American Pier Cobh Association were also awarded a prize for their Big American Swim event which focused attention on the US presence in Cobh during WW1 and the “American pier” which has been focal point for outdoor recreation in the town ever since.

These events won the Cork City and Cork County Awards respectively.

Event organisers, who must put themselves forward for consideration for an award, can submit nominations for the National Heritage Awards from below, before the deadline on Tuesday 24th of September 2024:

https://www.heritageweek.ie/awards

This year’s National Heritage Week Awards will comprise the county awards, as well as a number of special categories, namely:

Connections, Routes and Networks Award

The Connections, Routes and Networks Award is awarded to an event that made a special effort to incorporate the 2024 theme of National Heritage Week – Connections, Routes and Networks.

Wild Child Event Award

The Wild Child Event Award Is awarded to an event that happened on Wild Child Day, 24th August 2024, that successfully encouraged children and families to get outdoors and explore the natural heritage and biodiversity in their locality.

Water Heritage Day Award (In conjunction with the Local Authority Waters Programme)

The Water Heritage Award is awarded to a Water Heritage Day event, held on 25th August 2024. Events considered include those that explored how a canal, river, lake or sea shaped the heritage of a locality or celebrated water as an integral part of our natural heritage.

Inclusive Heritage Award

The Inclusive Heritage Award is awarded to an event or project that made a special effort to share heritage with everyone in the community, including those who are:

• new to heritage
• those who do not have local roots
• those who have additional accessibility needs
• those of varying age categories

Irish Language Award

The Irish Language Award is awarded to an event that took place through the Irish Language and/or encouraged participation or activity in the Irish language.

Sustainability and Climate Award

The Sustainability and Climate Heritage Award is awarded to an event or project that made efforts to incorporate environmentally friendly practices to reduce our carbon footprint and impact on the natural world, or an event that provided education on the impact of climate change and good sustainability practices.

Intangible Cultural Heritage Award – The Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh Award

The Intangible Cultural Heritage Award is awarded to an event or project that encouraged a greater appreciation of an element of our intangible cultural heritage – crafts, skills, customs and practices.

Heritage Hero Award

Every year the Heritage Council awards the Heritage Hero Award to an individual or organisation that has demonstrated – over a substantial period of time – an outstanding contribution to the protection and promotion of heritage. This award is based on nominations from the public.

County Award

In addition to the National Awards (above), the Heritage Council also gives a “County Award” to the best event or project in each local authority area as nominated. This award is based on how well the event or project raised awareness about an element of heritage and how they promoted the event and involved the community.

All participants who successfully upload a heritage project on the National Heritage Week website by Tuesday 24th of September 2024 will be considered for a National Heritage Week Award. 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.

The awards ceremony will take place on November 15th 2024 at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin.