Free admission to OPW sites

The Office of Public Works (OPW) is proud to announce an exciting programme of events taking place at heritage sites across Ireland for Heritage Week 2025, which runs from Saturday (August 16) to Sunday (August 24).

Organised by the Heritage Council, National Heritage Week has become one of Ireland’s largest cultural events. The OPW is pleased to support National Heritage Week to ensure individuals, groups and families can get out and explore what Ireland’s heritage sites has to offer.

This year’s theme, 'Exploring Our Foundations', invites the public to reflect on the structures, landscapes, stories and cultural practices that have shaped Irish life over the centuries.

From family fun days and living history displays to music, workshops, and guided tours, the 2025 programme features engaging events at OPW sites nationwide, with activities for all ages and interests.

Launching this initiative, the Minister of State for the Office of Public Works, Kevin 'Boxer' Moran said: ‘This year’s National Heritage Week theme ‘Exploring Our Foundations’ is very fitting with the range of conservation projects that the OPW has undertaken in recent times. Our sites offer a rich tapestry of events that have approached the theme from a number of perspectives, including the community, biodiversity and conservation. With over 100 events on offer for the duration of Heritage Week, and our free admission day on Saturday (August 16), there is something for everyone to enjoy’

Virginia Teehan, Chief Executive at the Heritage Council, said: “National Heritage Week plays an exceptional role in uniting Ireland’s built, natural, and cultural heritage within a single, vibrant festival. Over the past 25 years, it has significantly deepened public awareness and appreciation of heritage—shaping more informed attitudes, changing hearts and minds, and contributing to the safeguarding of our remarkable heritage assets. As CEO of the Heritage Council, I feel privileged to work so closely with the passionate individuals and communities who bring this week to life each year. I would also like to acknowledge the OPW as an outstanding partner in National Heritage Week—its stewardship of so many of Ireland’s most magnificent heritage sites offers people a unique and powerful way to experience the richness of our shared past.”

Highlights of OPWs National Heritage Week Programme include:

- Embark on a Local Link to the Past and use your Local Link ticket to gain free entry to sites on the Local Link network. Participating sites include Doneraile Court and Estate, The Rock of Cashel, The Glendalough and Clonmacnoise Monastic Sites and Visitor Centres, Portumna Castle and Gardens, Sligo Abbey, Donegal Castle, Charles Fort, Ennis Friary, Ionad an Bhlascaoid – the Blasket Centre.

- Glendalough Visitor Centre will host a Family Fun Day, featuring guided tours of the monastic site, LEGO workshops with renowned artist Jessica Farrell, a simulated archaeological dig with The School of Irish Archaeology, and natural fence building with Wicklow Willow.

- Ross Castle in Co Kerry offers a special historical tour as well as guided nature walks on Ross Island exploring Bronze Age mining and biodiversity.

- Battle of the Boyne – Oldbridge Estate will come alive with Laoch Living History performances, recreating 17th-century military life, blacksmithing, and more. Events culminate in a costumed battlefield walk with historian Tóla Collier.

- Sligo Abbey hosts a rich cultural line-up including 'Art in the Abbey' (a charcoal drawing event), musical performances by The Cloister Boys, and a talk and live music session with acclaimed musician and historian Gregory Daly.

- Ballyhack Castle in Wexford will transform into a medieval hub with shield-making workshops and live archery demonstration from Arrows Away Archery.

- JFK Arboretum will present multiple interactive family events, including the “Books Among Trees” pop-up library experience, 3D printing & LEGO robotics, and a clay workshop with potter Laura Barry that blends nature and creativity.

- At Charles Fort Military Fortress in Cork, visitors can enjoy a pair of illustrated talks: The Kinsale Railway Line: Past and Present” by Cathal Deasy and “Seamus Breathnach – Cultural Nationalist” by Pádraig Walsh, each taking place in the atmospheric Gunpowder Magazine.

- In Waterford, Reginald’s Tower explores naval visitors to the city over the past century, while Dungarvan Castle hosts a talk on the Waterford to Mallow Railway and its wartime history.

- At Custom House Visitor Centre, events include an interactive children’s tour and architecture workshop, and a special "Foundations" Tour, exploring the building's pivotal role in shaping Ireland's political and social landscape.

Irish language tours will be available at numerous OPW sites across the country including Doneraile Court, Co. Cork, Trim Castle, Co. Meath, Emo Court, Co. Laois and several Dublin locations such as Kilmainham Gaol, Casino Marino, The Phoenix Park, and Castletown House and Parklands.

Further details

Full OPW events schedule at www.heritageireland.ie and www.heritageweek.ie