Adobe
Acrobat Reader or Microsoft Office Word is required to open the documents detailed below. Please contact us if the information you require is not available from this website.
Heritage Week 2009
Heritage Week 2009 will run from Saturday 22nd to Sunday 30th August inclusively. Carlow County Museum, on behalf of Carlow Local Authorities, will coordinate countywide publicity on the various events for Heritage Week. All groups and organisations can organise an event such as a guided walk, talk, lecture or even an exhibition. A detailed listing of the events taking place in the County will appear on this website as well as in a series of local newspaper advertisements and a specific brochure for the county. In association with the Kilkenny County Council Heritage Office a joint local radio advertisement will be aired. At a national level Heritage Week is coordinated by the Heritage Council. A Common Heritage has been adopted as a permanent theme for Heritage Week by the Council of Europe. Browse to Heritage week events or the Heritage Council of Ireland websites for more information.
HERITAGE COUNCIL’S GRANTS PROGRAMME 2009
The application deadline for the Heritage Council’s Grant Programme 2009 was November 14th 2008 last but the deadline for the Buildings at Risk scheme is March 31st 2008*. There is €2.5 million available for a variety of grant schemes including Local Heritage Grants, Publications, Museums & Archives, Wildlife Research, Archaeology Research, Architectural Research and Buildings at Risk Scheme.
*Buildings at Risk Scheme: The Heritage Council funding is fully committed under this scheme, and the next available round of funding is for project works 2010. Only essential repairs to an existing roof will be considered for funding. For Further information on the Heritage Council’s Grants Programmes browse to the Heritage Council of Ireland website.
CARE AND CONSERVATION OF HISTORIC GRAVEYARDS WORKSHOP
During June 2008 Carlow Local Authorities hosted a free practical workshop on the care and conservation of historic graveyards which was held in Dunleckney Cemetery and McGrath Hall, Muinebheag. This workshop was jointly coordinated between the County Museum and the Community and Enterprise Department.
There are a number of community groups who actively look after their local graveyards, many of which have been disused for some time but whose origins may go back into antiquity as important places of local worship. This workshop was open to all groups involved in or thinking of becoming involved in graveyard maintenance. The speakers discussed both the archaeological and flora and fauna aspects of our graveyards, offering practical advice and tips and what should be done and more importantly what shouldn’t be done and what works should only be undertaken by specialist operatives.
-
Care and conservation of historic graveyards handout [ pdf 11mb ]
ROYAL SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES EXHIBITION
The Royal Society of Antiquaries ( RSAI ) launched their exhibition “ Rubbing Shoulders with the Dead ” in their building at 63 Merrion Square, Dublin 2 during September 2008. In order to aid their fundraising and to promote their profile the Society decided to organise a series of exhibitions with lunchtime talks based around their collections. The first of these exhibitions was based on the 19th century grave rubbings taken by members of Society including some by Carlow’s Philip Doyne Vigors. One of the most interesting of these rubbings is that taken at St Mullins. Included in this particular rubbing are rare images of five Irish saints - St Mullins, St Patrick, St Brigid, St Columcille and St James.
-
Rubbing shoulders with the dead [ pdf 29kb ]
IRISH LIFE AND LORE SERIES
In February 2008 the Carlow Series of Irish Life & Lore CD collection was launched. Carlow Local Authorities commissioned Maurice O’Keeffe to undertake this project. Over the course of summer and autumn of 2007 Maurice travelled the high ways and byways of the county interviewing forty eight people resulting in the production of this collection of fifty CDs. Carlow is one of many counties to be completed in this series of folklore recordings.
Those interviewed detail life experiences or their knowledge on aspects of Carlow’s history and heritage. For some it was telling the story of their long established family businesses or their working lives in both the public and private sectors. For others it was about recounting days past and old traditions which have long since died out. The interviews also look at the many changes that have happened in the county such as life before rural electrification, farming before mechanisation, the development of transport and the important role of the local estate house in providing employment.
The entire collection and catalogue can be consulted in the Local Studies Section of Carlow Central Library. In time when the County Museum reopens to the public the collection can also be consulted there. On behalf of Carlow Local Authorities this project has been coordinated on a joint basis by Carlow County Library and Carlow County Museum. Browse the Irish Life and Lore website for further informaton.
DUCKETT’S GROVE WALLED GARDENS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS
In 2005 Carlow County Council acquired Duckett’s Grove, an impressive ruined Georgian mansion along with two superb interconnecting walled gardens and lawns ( 10.773 acres ) for use as a public park. The towers and turrets of Duckett’s Grove formerly centred on a 12,000 acre estate have dominated the landscape for over 200 years. Duckett’s Grove is now opened seven days a week all year round and admission is free. Opening times from 1st April to October 31st are from 10.00am – 5.30pm and from 1st November to March 31st the opening hours are from 10.00am – 4.00pm.
-
Duckett’s Grove development [ pdf 172kb ]
HERITAGE BOATS VISITS TO CARLOW
For centuries the River Barrow was an important inland water trade route. Boats carrying up to fifty tonnes of cargo could travel to many part of Ireland using rivers such as the Barrow and Shannon and Canals such as the Grand or Royal. In 2005 and 2007 both the Heritage Boat Association ( HBA ) and the Canal Boatmen’s Reunion visited Carlow Town. The 2005 visit by the HBA was significant because it was the first time that so many of these boats had visited Carlow at the one time since 1959 –’60 when the service was shut down. The HBA has rescued and restored many of the former Canal Boats ( barges ) and Carlow was part of the Barrow Navigation with many important stops including Carlow Town, Bagenalstown and Tinnahinch. To honour the former Canal Boatmen a commemorative plaque was unveiled in the Town Park which is located on the banks of the River Barrow.
-
Heritage boat festival in Carlow Town 2005 and 2007 [ pdf 327kb ]
-
Carlow Town Council and the Heritage boat association [ pdf 180kb ]