Heritage Week Events 2026

The IWDG is delighted to celebrate National Heritage Week 2026 with a range of engaging events and activities. Visit the Shannon Dolphin Centre, which will be open throughout the week, welcoming visitors with guided tours and displays featuring information and artefacts on the Shannon dolphins and other marine species. Please check our website and Google Maps for the latest opening times and visitor information.

We will have the Estuary Watch event on 22 August, offering a unique opportunity to learn more about the resident bottlenose dolphins and Ireland’s rich marine heritage. Specific event locations will be listed here closer to the date.

Shannon Dolphin Centre

National Heritage Week 2020 – Online Celebration

In 2020, the IWDG marked National Heritage Week in a unique way. With COVID-19 restrictions in place, we brought the celebrations online, sharing a series of short video clips featuring some of our favourite Irish artists and writers.

Although we couldn’t gather on headlands that year for National Whale Watch Day, the online content allowed us to connect with people around the country and beyond.

You can still enjoy these videos as part of our Heritage Week archive, a snapshot of how we adapted and celebrated Ireland’s marine heritage during an extraordinary year.

 

At home with ‘Eco-artist’ and long-time IWDG member, Sabine Springer
A reading by Michele Viney on behalf of Michael and Ethna Viney.
Illustrations by Michael Viney from “Another Life” and “A Years Turning”.

“You cannot make art about nature… that nature in the end always wins. It’s an impossible thing to create art that’s as powerful as nature”~ Dorothy Cross.
 
Dorothy reads a short extract from “Stones of Aran” by Tim Robinson and talks about how the sea and nature influences her and her work.

Readings from Mary O’Malley, Irish poet and long standing member of the IWDG.
Mary speaks about her personal experience with the sea and how this has inspired her poetry.
Contributor Micheál Ó Cinnéide talks about his background, his involvement with the group and his love of Irish.
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