National Heritage Week returns for 2026

More than 100 events are taking place across Cavan and Monaghan from August 15-23.

National Heritage Week, Ireland’s largest annual celebration of heritage, returns for 2026 from Saturday, August 15 until Sunday, August 23, with more than 100 events taking place across Cavan and Monaghan.

An initiative of the Heritage Council, this year’s theme, ‘Heritage at Risk’, invites individuals and communities in Cavan and Monaghan to consider the elements of our heritage that are vulnerable or under threat from historic buildings and archaeological sites to natural habitats, traditional skills, folklore, language and ways of life.

Uncover your own local history through the Tydavnet Hidden Heritage project, created in 2012 by a number of Tydavnet people who gathered photographs of people from the area. The launch will take place on Sunday, August 16 at 3pm at Cornagilta School Heritage Centre. Guest speaker Francie McCarron from Drumlin Yarnspinners will give a talk on the photos and some of the characters in the pictures. There will be music, refreshments and a tour of the centre on the day.

‘Cavan Storybank’, an exciting oral history recording project that began in 2025 will be held in Carrig Garden Centre in Mountnugent from 11am until 1pm on Tuesday, August 18. It will be a wonderful morning of recording stories and memories which have shaped communities throughout the county, and there will be refreshments served.

Among other events taking place across both counties are walking tours, workshops, quizzes and family fun days.

There are more than 2,500 events taking place across the island of Ireland this year, the largest programme in the event’s history, building on a milestone year in 2025 when almost half a million people attended events nationwide.

With support from partners including the Office of Public Works (OPW), Fáilte Ireland, Irish Landmark Trust and the River Basin Management Service, National Heritage Week has grown to become Ireland's largest annual celebration of built, cultural and natural heritage. The majority of events are free to attend and include guided heritage walks, traditional craft demonstrations, storytelling sessions, musical performances, family-friendly workshops, exhibitions and behind-the-scenes access to some of Ireland's most fascinating heritage sites.

To see the full list of events taking place during National Heritage Week visit heritageweek.ie