Brought to you by The Heritage Council

Free events are our favourite kinds of events.

Especially when they teach us something interesting about ourselves and our history. Which is exactly what National Heritage Week aims to do. The Ireland-centred celebration is back today, August 17, and will be going on until August 25. The theme this year is  Pastimes | Past Times, with the events focusing on and celebrating all things hobby-related. Our pastimes have been affected and influenced by hundreds of years of storytelling, craft, music, and sport and this year's National Heritage Week is going to teach us all about that. The Heritage Council is inviting us to take a stroll through history and look at how our free time has evolved over the years. No matter what you're interested in, you can be sure there'll be plenty going on to keep you entertained. If you want to try your hand a basket weaving or traditional bread making, you can do that at the Traditional Crafts event in Cavan. If board games are more your thing, head along to The Games We Played in Roscommon, where you'll learn about loads of old-timey games that people loved playing back in the day and you'll get to try your hand at them as well. Ever tried knitting or weaving? Maybe now is your chance if you want to head up to the Fanad Lighthouse in Donegal for their Yarn Bombing event. You can delve right into the past with VR in the Capture the Past and See the Future event in Donegal. It wasn't just crafts and games that made up past pastimes though - nature also played a huge role in people's daily leisure activities so, in keeping with the theme, there are LOADS of nature-related events too. For all you ladies out there, there's a Women in the Woods event in Laois where you can immerse yourselves in the benefits and beauty of a woodland environment for the evening (sounds good to us!). There are also plenty of walking tours happening all over the country, including a Walking Tour of Passage West in Cork, a walking tour around Shannon harbour at the Follow the Flyboats event in Offaly, and a visit to Coolbeg Wedge Tomb in Sligo. If animals are your passion, head to one of the many whale watching events being held on August 24 from 2-5pm at various spots around the coast such as Bray Head, Killiney, the Galley Head Lighthouse, Clogher Head, Loop Head Lighthouse, or plenty of other lookout spots. All the events listed here are free admission (though you might have to book in advance so get going!) and they are only the tip of the iceberg. There is SO much happening over the next week that it will be impossible to fit in everything in our area but that doesn't mean we're not going to try. We hope to see you there, fellow history fans! If you want to see a full list of events being held for National Heritage Week, just head over to their website. Brought to you by The Heritage Council