Clonmany to celebrate heritage with a special community event

Clonmany Genealogy and Heritage Group will be hosting a Heritage Event during National Heritage Week.

The event celebrates Clonmany’s history, heritage and people, and will be taking place on Saturday, August 15.

‘Memories of Place’ is a unique and engaging event offering a guided heritage walk at 10.00 am, an exhibition from 10.00 am – 4.00 pm, and an illustrated talk at 3.00 pm.

The event offers an opportunity to learn about the history of Clonmany, the skills and crafts of the local people, and the many artefacts collected for the exhibition. The illustrated talk will explore the many traditions, customs, beliefs and folklore associated with wakes and funerals in Inishowen in the past.

Visitors will also be able to enjoy musical entertainment during the exhibition, provided by local performers.

Although now one of Inishowen's best-known villages, Clonmany is believed to be among the youngest villages in the peninsula. In the early 1800s, only a handful of buildings stood where the village is today. These included a constabulary barracks, a revenue barracks, an infantry barracks and St. Mary's Catholic Church, which was built in 1795.

At that time, the area's main centre was Straid, home to a church, school, forge, post office, dispensary, corn mills and three notable residences—Dresden House, Dunally House and Glen House.

Following the guided heritage walk, visitors are invited to enjoy refreshments in the Market House Café before exploring the exhibition upstairs. The display features an impressive collection of artefacts, photographs and memorabilia that illustrate Clonmany's rich heritage, alongside examples of traditional crafts and skills once central to everyday life in the area. A local historian will deliver a short talk upstairs in the Market House at 12.30.

Beginning at 3.00 pm in the upstairs hall of the Market House, an illustrated presentation explores one of Ireland's most enduring traditions: wakes and funerals as important community gatherings where neighbours supported bereaved families by sharing food, lending household items, keeping vigil through the night and ensuring that no family faced grief alone.

The presentation will examine many of the customs, beliefs and superstitions associated with Irish wakes and funerals, including funeral etiquette, encounters with funeral processions, the significance of crossroads and water crossings, the covering of mirrors, stopped clocks, candles, signs from nature, the legend of the banshee, and many other fascinating traditions that formed an important part of life in Inishowen.