Inishowen’s history and culture to feature in National Heritage Week events

A range of events is taking place across Inishowen as part of National Heritage Week, which runs from August 13 to 21.

Run by the Heritage Council, National Heritage Week celebrates all things heritage and brings together communities, families, organisations, cultural institutions, academics and enthusiasts, to build awareness about the value of heritage and support its conservation.

Over the week events will be taking place from Malin Head to St Johnson and from Fahan to Carrowmenagh.

On August 14 and 17 August from 3pm to 5pm, there will be guided tours of St Mura's Church and graveyard at Fahan, which includes the 7th Century St Mura's cross-slab, one of the oldest Christian monuments in Ireland. The graveyard is also the site of the recently renovated ruins of Fahan Old Church (1622 -1822) which was built from the ruins of the monastic buildings. Among many notable graves are those of Bishop McDevitt of Derry and the 19th Century nursing pioneer, Agnes Jones.

Adjacent to the graveyard is the home of Frances Alexander who wrote Once in Royal David's City and All things Bright and Beautiful among her many hymns. 

The new graveyard holds the graves of a number of those who died when the Laurentic was torpedoed and sank in Lough Swilly in 1916 with the loss of 354 people.

There will be a great opportunity to learn more about the natural habitat of honey bees, their foraging grounds, housing and factors that put them under pressure at the  Boomtreebees event on August 14 from 11am to 4pm at Tullyarvan Mill hostel, Buncrana.

Community initiative to save St Mura’s cross faces decisions on its future

The Fahan Heritage Group says options are being explored on how to prevent further deterioration of the 7th Century cross slab

The event will include speakers discussing what we can do to improve the situation for our bees, demonstrations on making suitable housing for bees and the opportunity to speak with people in the field of honey bee conservation.

On August 17 at the Saldanha Suite at Fort Dunree, there will be an evening of storytelling and song in memory of the late Dermot McLaughlin who organised many of these events during the years in Fort Dunree.

The history of the Church of the Sacred Heart graveyard in Carndonagh will be explored on

August 19 from 7pm to  10pm and  August 20 from 10am to 5pm. The event will look at the history of the graveyard and churches over hundreds of years. It will recall the various clergy and lay people who worked there, display historical photos, maps, records and artefacts and identify graves that recall Inishowen's history. 

St Johnston and Carrigans Family Resource Centre will host a celebration of Kinny Cally Hall, a one-room stone structure located in St Johnston, which was popular for miles around as a social gathering place and music-and-dance venue from the 1920s to 1940s. 

The ivy-covered hall is in a state of disrepair and in danger of ultimately tumbling, which has led a group of local volunteers to initiate efforts to preserve and restore it.

The event on August 18 from 7pm to 9pm, will feature speakers discussing the historical and cultural significance of the hall plus music by local Irish traditional fiddle players whose ancestors would have played for dances in the hall. The event will also feature the launch of a Heritage Council-funded architectural conservation report about the hall which includes recommendations regarding the works needed to preserve and restore it. 

On August 20 and 21, Malin Head Heritage Group will host an event on photographs and information on Malin Head flora and fauna as well the history of The Old Church at Malin Well.

Whale Watch Ireland will host an event at  Inishowen Head on August 20 from 2pm to 4pm. The annual event comprises free and guided whale watches at local headlands or vantage points, as part of All-Ireland whale watch day. 

There will be a celebration of the recent visit by the US Ambassador to Ireland Claire Cronin to her ancestral home of Carrowmenagh on August 21 from 2pm to 4pm.

The event will consist of a tour of places of interest around Carrowmenagh and a photographic and DVD exhibition.