News | Heritage in Schools

News

From the classroom to the Arctic

Heritage in Schools Specialist Anthony Galvin-Healy has just returned from trekking across the top of Europe. Anthony, who visits schools talking about polar heroes Tom Crean and Ernest Shackleton, has been a regular visitor to the Arctic over the past three decades. This time he was trekking across the extreme north of Finland, in temperatures of minus 23 degrees, to raise funds for the charity SightSavers, which provides medical care in the developing world.

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Heritage in Schools Specialists visit the Royal Irish Academy

On Thursday 23 January 2025 the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) welcomed members of the Heritage in Schools panel, both in person and online, to learn about RIA educational resources for primary schools from the RIA Library, Dictionary of Irish Biography, Irish Historic Towns Atlas, Grangegorman Histories and the Digital Repository of Ireland. This pilot workshop aimed to showcase some RIA resources that are accessible and can be used in the class room.

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Growth of our Heritage in Schools panel of specialists

We are delighted to welcome 24 new heritage specialists to our Heritage in Schools programme and we hosted an induction day at Áras na hOidhreachta last month. It was an informal and enjoyable day which included presentations from Heritage Council staff and long-term members of the Heritage in Schools panel, who provided lots of useful tips and advice on preparation, delivery and engagement.   We heard more about the work our new recruits will do with schools, as well as expanding our reach and offerings on history, archaeology and biodiversity  topics they will bring some interesting new subjects to the programme too, including 'mosaic culture in Ireland', 'history of the use of archery in Ireland' and 'Thornton Irish lace and crochet'.  Check out their website profiles in January for more information and to book visits.  We open for bookings on 1 January!

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Open for bookings from 1 January

Heritage in Schools has had a bumper year with an estimated 3,000 visits delivered in 2024 and our funding is now fully allocated. We will be open for bookings for 2025 from 1 January and we look forward to visiting your school in the new year!

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Celebrate Samhain with a free Heritage in Schools visit!

Celebrate Samhain and the end of the harvest season with a free Heritage in Schools visit for your school.  We have 100 free visits to give away which will be allocated on a first come basis and one visit per school. Visits must take place between 4th and 8th November.

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Heritage in Schools takes to the road

Our Heritage in Schools Specialists enjoy an annual networking day each year, usually at the end of June when schools break for the summer. This year we decided to hold smaller regional events instead of one main event in the midlands, so our team took to the road for a week and met as many specialists as possible. We had a fabulous week of meetings in Tramore Coastguard Cultural Centre, The Burren College of Art and Glenveagh National Park.

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Heritage in Schools day for Carlow schools on 2nd May

On 2nd May Carlow College, St Patrick’s, will be blitzed by a group of Heritage Specialists from the Heritage Council’s Heritage in Schools programme. Carlow primary schools are invited to join us for a day of fun and interactive heritage workshops which will cover topics such as archaeology, biodiversity, heritage crafts and storytelling. This is a FREE day and lunches will be provided.

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Tullamore selected for the first ever Heritage in Schools Blitz 2024!

Over a two-day period, on 25 & 26 April, Tullamore primary schools will be blitzed by Heritage Specialists from the Heritage Council’s Heritage in Schools programme. The visiting Specialists will deliver all sorts of interesting facts on Offaly’s rich built, natural and cultural heritage. Visits can be to the classroom, the school yard or further afield and will be FREE OF CHARGE.

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