Heritage Week 15th – 23rd August 2025

National Heritage Week celebrates all things heritage. It brings together communities, families organisations, cultural institutions, academics and enthusiasts, to build awareness about the value of heritage and supports its conservation. This year the theme is Heritage at risk, focusing on endangered natural habitats, traditional skills, and disappearing cultural practices.

Waterford Libraries are celebrating Heritage Week 2026 with a selection of exhibitions, talks, workshops and events across our branches.

Click on the button below to view and download the full events programme for Waterford Libraries.

Exhibition – The Story of Us Census 1926 at the Index Gallery, Central Library

The 1926 census has been an amazing new resource that allows people to discover their family stories and the stories of their communities since its release online by the National Archives of Ireland on the 18th of April.

Waterford City and County Archives and Waterford Libraries Service in partnership with the National Archives of Ireland are delighted to host an exhibition on the 1926 Census at Waterford Central Library, Lady Lane on Wednesday from 4th – 20th August.

This exhibition from the National Archives of Ireland will allow visitors to explore the Ireland of 1926 and discover the stories told by the census about the newly independent Ireland and its people.

In addition to viewing the exhibition itself visitors will be able to search the census online at laptops made available to accompany the exhibition. Visitors to the exhibition will also find a selection of documents from Waterford City and County Archives providing a glimpse into life in Waterford City and County in the 1920s. Waterford Libraries Service will also have a display of books on Ireland and Waterford in the 1920s.

If you can’t wait to explore the 1926 Census don’t forget you can access it at any time online at: www.nationalarchives.ie.

Date: 4th August – 20th August

Time: During Library Opening Hours

Venue: Central Library

Free Event – Booking Not Required

Contact Central Library on 051 849975  for further information.

Exhibition – Dungarvan: 24 Hours, 25 Years Later

In August 2001 Dungarvan Camera Club, with the help of the Credit Union and the Arts Office, created a 24 hour photographic record of Dungarvan. A sample of 50 images were subsequently exhibited and afterwards presented to the Credit Union. The Dungarvan Camera Club are re-exhibiting these photos for Heritage Week 2026 at Dungarvan Library, a great opportunity to see the changes in Dungarvan over the past 25 years.

Date: 18thAugust – 28th August

Time: During Library Opening Hours

Venue: Dungarvan Library

Free Event – Booking Not Required

Talk: Delving Into The Display: Waterford in 1926 with Joanne Rothwell, Waterford City and County Archivist

Join us in Central Library, Lady Lane for a lunchtime talk with Joanne Rothwell, Archivist, Waterford City & County Council to explore the archives on display from Waterford City & County Archives as part of the Census 1926 exhibition from the National Archives.

Come along and find out what these archives tell us about Waterford in 1926.

Date: Tuesday 18th August

Time: 1:30pm

Venue: Central Library

Free Event – Booking Required

Contact Central Library on 051 849975 for bookings and information.

Talk: A Tale of Two Streets in Waterford with Eugene Broderick

Join us during Heritage Week in Central Library, Lady Lane for a lunchtime talk with local historian and author, Eugene Broderick. The talk will explore two Waterford streets using the 1926 census records, archives and other historical sources to tell their story and the stories of the people who lived on them.

Date: Wednesday 19th August

Time: 1:30pm

Venue: Central Library

Free Event – Booking Required

Contact Central Library on 051 849975 for bookings and information.

Workshop: Flax 405: Threads of Culture with Three Sisters Women’s Shed

Join the Three Sisters Women’s Shed for a morning of flax cordage-making as part of National Heritage Week 2026 (theme: “Heritage at Risk”). The Three Sisters Women’s Shed is a St John’s Park community group bringing women of all ages and backgrounds together through craft, conversation and creativity. At this free session we’re taking part in Flax 405: From Mallon to Mizen, an all-island art project led by artist Kathy Kirwan with Fibreshed Ireland, with communities across the country making flax rope, thread and linen that come together as 405 pieces, from Co. Tyrone to Co. Cork.

Cordage-making is one of the oldest human crafts, yet nearly lost to everyday life — exactly the living heritage this year’s theme asks us to protect. No experience needed. Just bring your hands. Tea and a warm welcome guaranteed.

Date: Friday 21st August

Time: 10:30am – 12:30pm

Venue: Central Library

Free Event – Booking Not Required

Talk: Exploring the Hidden World of Life in Medieval Masonry with Mark Donnelly, Ecologist & Ciara O’Flynn, Built Heritage Consultant, Southgate Associates

Explore the hidden world of Medieval Masonry with Mark Donnelly, Ecologist & Ciara O’Flynn, Built Heritage Consultant, Southgate Associates. Discover how old stone walls, ruins and historic buildings provide valuable habitats for a surprising variety of wildlife, from small mammals and insects to lichens, mosses and plants.

This family-friendly event will reveal the secrets held within our historic structures and show how heritage and biodiversity are beautifully connected. Whether you are young or old, a nature lover, history enthusiast, or simply curious about the wildlife around us, come along and uncover the living stories hidden in Ireland’s ancient stones.

Date: Friday 21st August

Time: 3:00pm

Venue: Central Library

Free Event – Booking Not Required

Talk: The Unexpected Legacy of the Irish Temperance Movement: Irish Community Bands and Choirs with Tiger Lily Keoghan

The Irish Temperance Movement is often remembered for what it failed to achieve – widespread and lasting sobriety. Nonetheless, its legacy can still be heard today in our towns and cities as it was key to the establishment of many of Ireland’s early community bands and choirs.

Date: Friday 21st August

Time: 7:00pm

Venue: Tramore Library

Free Event – Booking Required

Contact Tramore Library on 051 849594 for bookings and information.

Design Your Own Sword Craft Workshop for Children at Dungarvan Library

Join us in Dungarvan Library to design your own medieval sword during Heritage Week!

Suitable for children ages 5+ years.

Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Date: Saturday 22nd August

Time: 2:30pm

Venue: Dungarvan Library

Free Event – Booking Required

Contact Dungarvan Library on 058 21141 for bookings and information.

Talk: Thomas Francis Meagher: Heritage at Risk – Preserving the Legacy Behind the Legend by Dr. Maxine Keoghan

Thomas Francis Meagher is one of Ireland’s most iconic historical figures, yet his extraordinary life is too often reduced to a single moment—the introduction of the Irish Tricolour.

This talk explores the many chapters of Meagher’s remarkable journey through the lens of this year’s Heritage Week theme, “Heritage at Risk”. It considers what we risk losing when the full story of one of Ireland’s most influential sons fades from public memory.

From Waterford to Tasmania, and from revolutionary Ireland to the battlefields of the American Civil War, Meagher’s life reveals a rich heritage that deserves to be remembered, understood, and preserved for future generations.

Date: Saturday 22nd August

Time: 2:30pm

Venue: Ardkeen Library

Free Event – Booking Required

Contact Ardkeen Library on 051 849755 for bookings and information.

Walk: The Back Strand, Tramore with Paul Brent

Take a walk back in time with historian, Paul Brent, and learn about the hidden history of the Back Strand. Hear about the old racecourse and cycle track. Walk along the path over the original golf links. View the rifle range used to train soldiers in the First World War. Visit the sites of Cockle and Kitchen Middens. See where the people lived and find out about the crops they grew. There is so much more to hear and see, come along and enjoy the walk. All are welcome.

Date: Sunday 23rd August

Time: 2:00pm

Venue: Meet at The Sea Horse Monument, The Promenade, Tramore.

Duration: 1hr 30mins (approx.)

Free Event – Booking Not Requried

Contact Tramore Library on 051 849594 for further information.