Think of a project for National Heritage Week 2020

With restrictions on social gatherings due to COVID-19 likely to continue into August, it will be no suprise that this year's National Heritage Week will not be held in its usual format. The Heritage Council has confirmed today that it will not focus on the delivery of events in 2020 but instead invite individuals, families, communities and organisations to undertake projects that will culminate during Heritage Week. Topics to explore are those associated with this year's theme of 'Heritage and Education: Learning from our Heritage’.

2020 theme: 'Heritage and Education:
Learning from our Heritage'

Projects could involve researching an aspect of heritage on your doorstep, sharing or re-learning a skill from our heritage, or exploring an aspect of Ireland’s educational heritage, so there's plenty of scope here for family/local historians to show off their research skills.

The Heritage Council announcement gives further details: 'The results of your projects should be presented in a format that can be shared widely, for example through a video; podcast or oral history recording; a PowerPoint presentation or blog; through your community’s or organisation’s newsletter; via an online talk, demonstration or exhibition; or via an interview with your local radio or newspaper. A newly opened – and moderated – social media account could also be used to tell others about your project.

We encourage heritage newcomers, who have recently become curious about aspects of our heritage, previous Heritage Week event organisers, and those with a track record in championing aspects of our heritage to participate in Heritage Week 2020.

Projects can involve developing something new, or revisiting a heritage project or research into an aspect of our heritage that you have already worked on.'

A national call for Heritage Week projects will be launched later this month, and registration for project ideas will open on a new-style Heritage Week website at that time.

In the meantime, the organisers invite you to:

• Think about a project that is linked to this year’s theme, and that you, your family, community or organisation can develop or revisit for Heritage Week.
• Consider how you can engage with the community around you in building your project, and how to involve people across different generations.
• Mark Heritage Week in your diary: it takes place from 15th – 23rd August and is the time when projects from around the country will be shared on the Heritage Week website.

The new website will go live shortly and will be full of ideas for projects, advice on ways to construct them, and information about what resources will be available to you to develop them.