Busy schedule of online Heritage Week events in Offaly

Heritage Week, which gets underway on Saturday (August 15), is going online this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the obvious challenges brought about by Covid 19 restrictions, local organisers have put together a varied programme of events highlighting Offaly's rich heritage.

TOP: Pictured at the National Heritage Awards 2019 at the Royal Irish Academy are members of The Egan Family, The Heritage Hero Award winners with Chief Executive of The Heritage Council Virginia Teehan (on right). Pic: Marc O’Sullivan. Members of the family will give an online demo of the traditional art of brown bread making as part of Heritage Week.

Sunday August 16

Worlds Within Worlds

Award winning photographer Tina Claffey is giving a recorded presentation of her work. Viewers will be taken on a “a visual macro photography journey through the seasons revealing other miniature worlds that reside in our bogs, wetlands and eskers.

The presentation is being broadcast on Sunday, August 16, at noon. To view, visit www.facebook.com/offalylibraries.

Tuesday August 18

The Great Famine in Offaly

Historian Dr Ciarán Reilly (NUI Maynooth) is giving an online illustrated lecture on The Great Famine in Offaly on Tuesday next, August 18 at 6pm.

This month, August 2020, marks the 175th anniversary of the arrival of the potato blight in Ireland in 1845.

This illustrated talk will trace all aspects of the impact of the famine on County Offaly including murder, crime and lawlessness. From Shinrone in the south to Edenderry in the north east, every part of Offaly was affected by the Great Famine.

The lecture can be viewed live on www.facebook.com/offalylibraries/.

Irish Wildlife and Heritage Workshop

On Tuesday, August 18 at 11am, Johnny Magory will host a virtual workshop for 4 to 8 year olds. They will hear stories and learn about Irish wildlife and heritage in a fun way.

To register for the event, go to https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/johnny-magory-irish-heritage-and-wildlife-workshop-tickets .

Wednesday August 19

Local Heritage: Harry Clarke and St Manchan

Honor Ridgeway's blog will focus on local heritage, St Manchan and the world renowned stained glass artist Harry Clarke.

The blog will be published online on Wednesday August 19 at 12pm, www.facebook.com/offalylibraries.

How To Craft Your Own Stained Glass with Melanie Whitney

Melanie Whitney’s video will demonstrate how to craft a beautiful stained glass window using supplies you can find in your own home.

This craft is done in conjunction with Honor Ridgeway's blog on Harry Clark and Local Heritage. This craft session in suitable for children ages 5-10 years old. Wednesday, August 19, 6pm. It can be viewed at www.facebook.com/offalylibraries.

Thursday, August 20

Exploring Buildings of Ireland: Kildare, Laois and Offaly

Dr Andrew Tierney is giving an online lecture of the architecture of Kildare, Laois and Offaly. The lecture will be available at https://iarc.ie/heritage-week-2020/ from 1.15pm on Thursday.

Friday August 21

The Traditional Art of Bread-Making with the Egan family

Bread-making has had somewhat of a revival of late due to COVID-19 but years ago, the baker pot took centre stage on the open fire.

Following their Heritage Hero 2020 award, the Egan family from Birr will share the recipe and method gained from their Granny, Elizabeth Egan (nee Hynes) who passed on this tradition to the next generation of the Egan family.

The recipe is documented in Elizabeth’s handwritten school cookery notebook dated November 1909.

On August Friday August 21 at noon, they will give an online demonstration of how to make traditional soda bread using the baker pot in Carrigeen Farmhouse, Birr.

The demonstration can be viewed online at www.facebook.com/offalylibraries.

Saturday August 22

Celebrating Croghan Hill Through Poetry

Poet Pauline McNamee recites her Croghan Hill haikus on Saturday, August 22 at 12pm. The online recital can be viewed at .

Sunday August 23

The Workhouses of County Offaly

Local historian Steve Dolan is giving a free online lecture on the history of the workhouses in County Offaly. He will also be launching a booklet on the same topic. The book costs €5 plus postage, with all proceeds being donated to the St Vincent de Paul shop in Banagher.

The online lecture is on Sunday August 23 at 1.30pm.

To watch the lecture go to: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/73529914674?pwd=N3RtcnJZSWEweW9HYWpLSDdGUjJQZz09.

Meeting ID: 735 2991 4674

Passcode: SrCXK6

General

The Removal of Himalyan Balsam on the Camcor

Himalayan Balsam in an invasive alien species which is particularly beautiful and dramatic in appearance. However, out of its natural setting it can quickly get out of control. Its increasing presence was noted on the Camcor River in 2016 and this has led to a survey of the catchment to see if the plants upstream can be tracked.

Roscomroe in the Slieve Blooms appears to be the highest patch upstream.

A video posted on the Heritage Week website, catalogues the world done over the last two years by a team of volunteers and professionals, who have literally pulled thousands of plants following consultation with the NPWS,. This has been greatly assisted by funding from the Heritage Council and the National Biodiversity Action Plan allocation to Offaly in 2019 and 2020.

To view the video go to: https://www.heritageweek.ie/projects/removal-of-himalyan-balsam-on-the-camcor-river-catchment

Celebrate Heritage on Our Doorstep

Students from St Mary's Secondary School will give a number of talks on different topics.

On Monday August 17 at noon, Alex will give a talk on the life and times of George Barrington.

On Thursday, August 20 at noon, Laura will describe the life and times of Paddy Ryan and his involvement with Kildare GAA. The talks can be viewed at www.facebook.com/offalylibraries.

The Coffin on the Black Bridge – Pollagh Heritage Group

Tomás Devery from the Pollagh Heritage Group interviewed his father Mick about the history of the River Brosna and how it shaped the lives of the people who lived in the village. The interview can be viewed on YouTube by searching for The Coffin on the Black Bridge.

Raising Awareness of Pollinators

Inspired by the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan the Heritage Offices of Laois, Offaly and Westmeath created a series of radio ads to raise awareness of bees, and how all of us, from farmers to local authorities, to schools, gardeners and businesses, can come together to try to create an Ireland where pollinators can survive and thrive.

The clips were scripted by Juanita Browne and funded by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht under the National Biodiversity Action Plan programme. They were recorded and first broadcast by Midlands 103 local radio.

The clips can be listened to online at: www.hertiageweek.ie/projects/raising-awareness-of-pollinators

Wildflowers of Offaly Series

John Feehan provides engaging and insightful 4 to 8 minute long videos about wild flowers in season in Offaly. These are more than identification guides, John explains the evolution of the plant and its design to attract pollinators, providing the background of what medicinal used it was used for in the past. This complements his book 'Wildflowers of Offaly' published by Offaly County Council in 2006.

The videos can be viewed on the Offaly Heritage YouTube Channel.

Flora and Fauna of Coole Heritage Hedgerows

Coole Eco-Community near Ferbane aims to restore biodiversity to the land. Using the Heritage Council's Hedgerow Appraisal System, Siobhán Lavelle, Nessa Darcy and PJ Dooley surveyed hedegrows for a Heritage Week project. It scored as "highly significant", due to the number of woody and ground cover indicator plant species and its great age. It dates back to at least the early 19th century, as the field boundary is shown on the six-inch ordnance survey map of 1838.

The group invited some local people for a hedgerow tour and to celebrate with a cup of foraged herbal tea.

A video of the tour can be viewed at: www.heritageweek.ie/projects/flora-and-fauna-of-coole-heritage-hedgerows.