Mayo nominations invited 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 Mayo.
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 nominees last year were Mayo’s Climate Action Louisburgh Locality Group who were runners-up in the Water Heritage Award for their ‘Explore Louisbugh’s River Life’ event, which brought biologists to the banks of the Bunabhann River to identify fish and insects, and to explain how these creatures live, are interdependent, and to demonstrate how healthy a river is just by the species that live in it.
Event organisers, who must put themselves forward for consideration for an award, can submit nominations for the awards from below, before the deadline on Tuesday, September 24: https://www.heritageweek.ie/awards.
Included in the award categories is a county award which recognises the best heritage project in each county. In 2023, the Irishtown Heritage Group won the Mayo award for their Irishtown Piper event which celebrated the memory of the Brooklyn-based uilleann piper Michael Carney (1872–1938), a native of the Mayo village.
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, August 24, 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 August 25. 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 September 24 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 15 at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin.