Heritage Week

Heritage Week

National Heritage Week is part of European Heritage Days, a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Union in which over forty countries participate each year. The main aim of European Heritage Days are to promote awareness of our built, natural and cultural heritage and to promote Europe’s common cultural heritage. Every year millions of Europeans visit historical monuments and sites throughout Europe on European Heritage Days.

In Ireland we celebrate European Heritage Days with a full week of events throughout National Heritage Week.

“National Heritage Week celebrates Ireland’s cultural, built & natural heritage. It brings together volunteers, community groups and heritage enthusiasts to share their experience, knowledge culture and practices.”

Dalkey’s modern day easy accessibility by public transport & older connections with the tramyard and Atmospheric Railway make it an exemplar.

Dalkey is an Irish Heritage Town. At Dalkey Castle, Living History actors from Deilg Inis bring the ancient history to colourful life with archery, barber surgery and a masterclass by cook on circular economy in medieval times, as part of every tour.

This year we will celebrate the theme of “Heritage at Risk”.

Heritage Week Talk

What the ÉIRE 7 sign is all about: the Coast Watching Service, Dalkey and the Second World War

Dr. Michael Kennedy – Executive Editor, Documents on Irish Foreign Policy, Royal Irish Academy.

The Éire 7 sign at Hawk Cliff in Dalkey is a restored World War II ‘neutrality marker’. Originally built in 1943 by local Coast Watchers, it was buried for decades until rediscovered and excavated in 2018 by Dalkey Tidy Towns.

The excavation, extensive volunteer restoration work, and the history behind the ‘Éire sign’ are extensively detailed in the Dalkey Community Council newsletter archives.

Following the recent publication of the booklet on the Éire Sign 7 here in Dalkey: ‘Irish Defence Forces/Coast Watching Service/1939 -1945’, there is much interest in the history and preservation of these ‘neutrality marker’ signs at other coastal locations around Ireland.

Dr. Kennedy will talk about the Dalkey area during the Second World War, about the wartime Coast Watching Service at Lookout Post No. 7 in Sorrento Park and about the ‘Éire 7’ marker at Hawk Cliff, the wider context of which can be found in his book, Guarding Neutral Ireland.

Photo: John Fahy (Dalkey Photos).

Thursday 20^th August 7.30pm (Duration: 1 hour).