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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
To celebrate National Hedgerow Week 2024, 2-8 September, the Heritage Council is offering 100 free Heritage in Schools visits to primary schools. Visit content must relate to Irish hedgerows and must take place between Monday, 2nd September and Friday, 6th September.
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.
Over 500 children from local Kilkenny primary schools descended on Áras na hOidhreachta on 14th June for our second Heritage in Schools Archaeology Day.
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.
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.
The Heritage Council is seeking applications from Heritage Specialists who want to join our Heritage in Schools team. The current panel expires at the end of 2023 and the new panel will commence from January 2024 for a four year term.
To celebrate National Biodiversity Week 2023 the Heritage Council is offering 100 free Heritage in Schools visits to primary schools. Visit content must relate to biodiversity and must take place between 19 and 28 May 2023.
