Heritage award for Ballyshannon Regeneration Group

Ballyshannon have scooped  the sustainable heritage award at the National Heritage Awards. 

With the help of the Heritage Council, Donegal County Museum and property owners, Ballyshannon Regeneration Group’s ‘Ballyshannon Historic Town, Conversation and Conservation’ event aimed to breathe new life into the town, through the reuse of some of the historic buildings. 

The event featured a walk and talk, with stories and discussion about buildings set for conservation.

Cllr Barry Sweeny, one of the prime movers of the regeneration group said it was a fantastic achievement told donegallive.ie:

The smart crystal trophy that Ballyshannon won. (Pic: Ballyshannon Gen Grp FB page) 

“This was just recognition for the countless hours that the group has put in over the years, not alone this year and we hope that the sustainable nature of what we did this year will pay further dividends in the future, reflecting the immense heritage of our town.”

This year, National Heritage Week celebrated the return of in-person events while continuing to showcase digital projects, which proved popular over the last two years. More than 1,800 events and projects took place around the country in August during National Heritage Week, as communities and individuals answered the Heritage Council’s invitation to explore this year’s themes of sustainable heritage and biodiversity.

The National Heritage Awards recognises the enormous contribution of individuals and community groups across Ireland in ensuring the preservation, protection, and promotion of Ireland’s built, natural and cultural heritage.

Entrants were also encouraged to use environmentally friendly practices to ensure the sustainability of their events and to share heritage with everyone in the community, including those who are new to heritage, those who do not have local roots or those who have additional accessibility needs.

There was also excellent news for the county in the Sustainable and Inclusive Event Award, when the award was scooped by the Irish Wheelchair Charity Shop Letterkenny with Donegal County Museum.

The ‘Selling the Past Exhibition’ was an interactive exhibition of items donated to Letterkenny’s Irish Wheelchair Charity Shop, all with links to Donegal’s history.

People were invited to browse through the store to find items with tags featuring historical information about Donegal, such as an embroidered cloth that connected the finder with the county’s famous cottage sewing and lacemaking, and a fireside chair inspired by the tradition of visiting and hearing poems and songs.

Chair of the Heritage Council, Dr Martina Moloney praised the enthusiasm and passion of the event and project organisers. She said: “National Heritage Week is not only a celebration of heritage but also a celebration of people and particularly those whose work in heritage, very often as volunteers, has made such a difference to their communities. The Awards are our chance to say thank you for the outstanding work and collective effort of all participants.”