Heritage Week Plans for 2018


August is always an exciting month for the Irish Workhouse Centre as we celebrate National Heritage Week. Running from August 18th to 26th, Heritage Week will again be a major focus here.
Steve Dolan (Our current Workhouse Master) with Claire Doyle (His beautiful assistant)
The aim of National Heritage Week is to preserve our folklore, ancient legends and archive the stories of our past in our minds. It is an event tailored to people of all ages and represents every facet of the Irish identity. This year, the theme of Heritage Week is ‘connections’. We encourage people to get involved and ‘make a connection’ to their heritage. Our heritage belongs to us, and it is important that we preserve and cherish it.

We will host ten events over the nine days, will hold ten events off-site, and are providing nine free publications over the nine days.  No centre or museum in the county holds as many events as the Workhouse. Perhaps, some of these events might interest you...

Saturday, August 18th

Beginning our Heritage Week celebration with a bang, Saturday sees us on the road to Ballinrobe Library for an 11am launch of our ‘Workhouses Mayo’ booklet. We’ll be at the All Saints Centre in Clonbur for a noon lecture with a booklet on Clonbur history, and finally at Ruanes of Glentane at 4pm for our booklet launch on 1798 and ‘The Year of the French’.
 Our opening event in the Irish Workhouse Centre is a special lecture at 8pm on the mysterious Workhouse Master Henry Ogle by historian David Broderick. This illustrated talk will follow the footsteps of Henry Ogle from Portumna, across the Atlantic Ocean and to the busy streets of nineteenth century New York City. It is definitely not to be missed.


Sunday, August 19th
On Sunday August 19th, we will be having our annual Heritage Week ‘Children's Day’! This event is a day that showcases the special ‘living history’ of the Workhouse. The theme of this year’s event is ‘The Master and the Mystery’, which is a rare experience for children to see how the inmates and staff lived in the Workhouse and to find out what 'creepy' Master Ogle got up to. With thanks to Ciaran Cannon and especially Declan Kelly.
For more information on this event, visit https://www.heritageweek.ie/whats-on/event/the-master-and-the-mystery .

 Monday, August 20th
Monday sees the annual Lá Gaeilge return to the Irish Workhouse Centre. In a celebration of the Irish Language, tours will be given in Irish throughout the day, beginning at 11 o’clock. Is lá nach gcaillfear é!

Tuesday, August 21st
We’re back on the road on Tuesday, August 21st, as 5pm sees the launch of our booklet ‘The not so silent century’ at Nenagh Library, followed by an 8pm lecture and launch of a free booklet on the Workhouses of Co Clare in Ballyvaughan Hall. Back at the Workhouse, meanwhile, it’s Museum Day and we’re presenting a special talk on workhouse artefacts by Aileen O’Dowd.

Wednesday, August 22nd
We’re on the road once again with a 12:30 launch of a booklet on Stoney Brennan in Loughrea Library, followed by the launch of a booklet on the Athenry Soldiers in Athenry Library. The afternoon sees a 16:30 lecture on the 1821 census of Athenry at the Town Hall.

Meanwhile, at the Workhouse, the focus is on ‘Medical Herbalism in Gaelic Ireland’ with Emmett Walsh discussing the extraordinary history of Irish medicine and its place in world medical practices from 1500.
           
Thursday, August 23rd
On August 23rd 1864, teenage labourer Bridget Mulvihill perished in Portumna Workhouse. A century and a half later, we’re delighted to welcome author Jerry Mulvihill to visit the workhouse to give a talk on his acclaimed book ‘The truth behind the Famine’ at 1pm. It is an event not to be missed.          
                   
Friday, August 24th
Who do you think you are?  From 12 noon, a team of genealogists will be on-hand at the Irish Workhouse Centre to assist all comers with their family trees.  Why not come along and discover your ancestry?

Saturday, August 25th
Saturday begins with a 12 noon launch of a booklet on Portumna Soldiers at Portumna Library. Attention then turns back to the Workhouse for a special day from 13:30 with a Children's News Day in which we’ll be teaching media literacy to children. Following this, there will be a lecture and booklet launch at 4pm on eighteenth century newspaper reports.

Sunday, August 26th
The final day of Heritage Week each year is always a very special one at the centre. Closing off our Heritage Week celebrations, we will have our annual free guided tours for families from 10am. We’re also out and about in Portumna from 2pm and will be joined by Community Water Officer Catherine Seale for the ‘Sights, Sounds and Stories’ of the Shannon. This is guaranteed to be a great day, and a lovely way to finish off our week of special events.



AT THE WORKHOUSE                       
Date             Time         Event                                          Details
Sat 18th       20:00          Finding Ogle                              Lecture on Workhouse Master Henry Ogle
Sun 19th      12:30          The Master and the Mystery      Children's day exploring life through art
Mon 20th      11:00          Lá Gaeilge                                  A day dedicated to the Irish Language
Tue 21st       11:30          Museum Day                               A special talk on workhouse artefacts
Wed 22nd    19:30          Irish Medicine from 1500            Medical herbalism in Gaelic Ireland
Thu 23rd       13:00         The truth behind the Famine       Jerry Mulvihill gives a talk on his book
Fri 24th         12:00         Who do you think you are?         Genealogists will be on-hand
Sat 25th        13:30         Children's News Day                   Teaching media literacy to children
Sat 25th        16:00         What it said in the papers             Lecture and booklet on newspaper reports
Sun 26th       10:00         Heritage Day                                 Annual free guided tours for families
                                                                                                                                               
ON TOUR  
Date             Start            Event                                                           Details / Venue
Sat 18th      11:00         The Workhouses Mayo                Booklet: Launch at Ballinrobe Library
Sat 18th      12:00         Clonbur - A history                      Lecture and booklet: All Saints Centre
Sat 18th      16:30         The Year of the French                 Lecture and booklet: Ruanes of Glentane
Tue 21st     17:00         The not so silent century               Booklet: Nenagh Library
Tue 21st     20:00         The Workhouses Clare                  Lecture and booklet: Ballyvaughan Hall
Wed 22nd   12:30         Raising Stoney Brennan               Booklet: Launch at Loughrea Library
Wed 22nd   16:00         Booklet on Athenry Soldiers       Booklet: Launch at Athenry Hall
Wed 22nd   16:30         Athenry 200 [1821-2021]             Lecture: At Town Hall
Sat 25th     12:00         A most ambivalent heritage           Booklet: On soldiers, at Portumna Library
Sun 26th   14:00         The Shannon: sites & sounds        With the Community Water Officer

Roisin Cowan (Irish Workhouse Centre Tour Guide)

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