OPW Announces Free Weekend Admission for National Heritage Week 2024
OPW Announces Free Weekend Admission
The Office of Public Works (OPW) has announced that over 80 heritage sites across Ireland will offer free admission on the 17th and 18th of August, marking the opening weekend of National Heritage Week 2024. This initiative aims to encourage public engagement with Ireland’s rich cultural and historical heritage.
Speaking at the launch of National Heritage Week, Kieran O’Donnell TD, Minister of State for the Office of Public Works, expressed enthusiasm for the event:
“We are delighted to offer free admission to OPW heritage sites on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th August. With more than 80 sites across the country, there is truly something for everyone to enjoy. We hope that the public take full advantage of the range of creative, engaging, and imaginative events on offer for all ages.”
O’Donnell highlighted the overarching theme of National Heritage Week and the OPW’s commitment to fostering community connections:
“A thread that runs throughout National Heritage Week and the wider work of the OPW heritage services is to stimulate interest, meaningful inclusion, and community connection. The OPW is pleased to support National Heritage Week to ensure individuals, groups, and families can get out and explore all that the country and its heritage attractions have to offer. Our Free Weekend Admission allow greater numbers of visitors to connect with our past and hopefully gain a deeper appreciation of the breadth and variety of sites cared for by the OPW.”
Rosemary Collier, Head of Heritage Services & Capital Works Delivery, emphasised the year-round dedication of the OPW to preserving and promoting heritage sites:
“At OPW, we work all year round to protect the heritage sites in our care. We provide the public with access to incredible sites and immersive tours. The theme for this year, ‘Connections, Routes and Networks,’ offers the opportunity to explore the ways we are connected to each other through physical or cultural connections.
Our sites offer a rich tapestry of crafts and traditions that tell the story of the connections between our people, heritage, communities, and culture. With more than 80 sites across the country, there is truly something for everyone to enjoy.”
National Heritage Week will invite visitors to explore various connections—physical routes such as roads, paths, boreens, rivers, and canals, as well as cultural and intangible heritage connections through sports, pastimes, hobbies, family connections, religion, and traditions.
Notable highlights include the Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre, which features an Iron Age road built in 148 BCE, and Derrynane House, where a recently discovered 190-year-old poem led to the uncovering of a lost pathway in dense woodlands.
In Connemara, visitors can explore Ionad Cultúrtha an Phiarsaigh – Pearse’s Cottage, where Patrick Pearse was drawn to the unique landscape and ancient Gaelic culture and language. In Dublin, Pearse Museum – St Enda’s Park offers insights into the life and work of Patrick Pearse and his brother Willie, who ran their pioneering Irish-speaking school from 1910 to 1916.
Virginia Teehan, Chief Executive at the Heritage Council, welcomed the OPW’s initiative:
“It gives me great pleasure to welcome the OPW’s decision to open over 80 of its sites for free admission during the opening weekend of National Heritage Week in 2024 – a testament to the excellent partnership we have shared with the OPW over many years.
It will bring immense benefits to the public, allowing families and visitors to experience some of the richest and most beloved heritage sites in Ireland.
National Heritage Week is a fantastic festival of events, where everyone from big organisations to small voluntary community groups come together to make significant contributions to the celebration of our national heritage.”
In the coming weeks, a comprehensive program of OPW National Heritage Week events will be unveiled. This will include collaborations with NPWS guides at Glendalough, a community-generated exhibition on the social history of the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, and an expert-led exploration of medieval pilgrimage at the Rock of Cashel in Tipperary.
Free admission will be available to all fee-paying sites, except for Kilmainham Gaol Museum. For a full list of OPW Heritage Sites, visit heritageireland.ie. National Heritage Week runs from the 17th to 25th of August 2024. For a complete list of events, visit heritageweek.ie.
