Register for National Heritage Week
National Heritage Week is just around the corner, offering a great opportunity to celebrate and share Kilkenny’s rich heritage. Running from 16th to 24th August 2025, this year’s theme—Exploring Our Foundations can be interpreted to showcase a range of local heritage from natural to built to cultural. The event registration portal is open and we encourage you to submit your event early and make use of the helpful planning resources available on the Heritage Week website – https://www.heritageweek.ie.To be included in the Kilkenny guide and promoted locally, please register your event by Wednesday 30th July 2025.
This year marks 20 years of National Heritage Week organised by the Heritage Council. To celebrate this anniversary, the Heritage Council is inviting stories from event organisers, participants, and supporters who were involved with Heritage week since the beginning. Please send your stories and information to heritage@kilkennycoco.ie.
Local Authority Waters Programme Grant Scheme for Heritage Week
Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) encourages community groups to apply under the ‘Water Heritage Day Grants Scheme 2025’ to celebrate Water Heritage Day on Sunday 24th August. LAWPRO is a national shared service working on behalf of the 31 local authorities in Ireland coordinating efforts to achieve good water quality in rivers, lakes, estuaries, ground and coastal water. To make an application go to https://lawaters.submit.com/show/13 . Deadline for applications is Friday 25th July 2025 at 4:00pm
Participate in a Local Templar Public History Research Study
Are you connected to the rich heritage of Kilbarry Templar Preceptory & Cemetery in Waterford City or Our Lady of Thomastown, Kilkenny? MA researcher Helena B. Scott is inviting community members, historians, and anyone with family stories or historical materials related to these sites to contribute to her public history study. Contributions can include interviews, sharing historical materials, or participating in conversations that help uncover the rich past of these sites. Your insights could make a lasting impact with preserving history for future generations.
To learn more or express your interest, contact Helena at 24123943@studentmail.ul.ie or visit https://www.helenabscott.com/maresearch
Kilbarry Templar Preceptory and Cemetery, Waterford City
New Digital Heritage Resources
The Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland has added 175,000 new historical records available to the public, including their Census Gleanings Gold Seam containing over 60,000 names from the pre and post-Famine censuses, transcribed by genealogists before the Four Courts blaze of 1922. These free, searchable materials are available to historians, students or anyone with an interest in Ireland’s history. Discover the collection at www.virtualtreasury.ie and explore the new 2025 showcase at https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/2025-new-releases
To mark the 40th anniversary of the Urban Archaeological Survey’s first report, the National Monuments Service has published the full series online as searchable PDFs. These documents are offer a rich resource on Ireland’s historic towns and pay tribute to the legacy of the late John Bradley, a native from Kilkenny city who lectured and published extensively on urban archaeology. Visit the Collections section of National Monuments Service website to explore the reports and learn more. For the up-to-date information, check out the Historic Environment Viewer.
