National Heritage Week’s theme in Ireland 2025 (credit, National Heritage Week)

The 2025 theme in Ireland

This year’s theme for National Heritage Week in Ireland is Exploring Our Foundations. This theme will be encouraging people to discover the ‘building blocks’ of cultural, natural and built heritage and uncovering the legacy and lasting impact this has on people, communities and identities. The theme is encouraging events to consider both literal and metaphorical layers of history which have shaped places, tradition and change, with organisers explaining that “by exploring our foundations, we strengthen them, ensuring what defines us today shapes tomorrow”. 

Coinciding with the shared European Heritage Days theme of Architectural Heritage, one aspect of Exploring Our Foundations is about the importance of the built environment. Events will be looking at religious, commercial, industrial and domestic architecture, as well as commemorative monuments and statues, with the theme providing an opportunity for communities to showcase the architecture which matters to them, whether large or small. The traditional skills used to build these places will also be demonstrated, highlighting the essential role of craftmanship in maintaining and conserving them for the future. Exploring Our Foundations will also be considering the natural world; examining the structures animals create and considering the threat they face through the destruction of natural habitats.

Special days and initiatives

Ireland’s National Heritage Week will also see a number of special themed days focussing on specific heritage topics. Returning after a pilot program last year, 2025 nationwide participation in the Heritage Open Doors initiative took place on the first weekend of activities. Based on an idea which has been successfully running in Cork for many years, the event gives visitors the chance to see historic and cultural structures which are not normally open to the public such as private homes and civic buildings, as well as parts of places which are not usually accessible such as in religious buildings and hospitality venues. Taking place on the 16th and 17th August, visitors to these hidden gems could participate in the events showcasing before-and-after restoration projects, storytelling re-enactments from the history of the buildings, and had the chance to meet the people who look after these places such as residents, caretakers and craftspeople. 

To close this year’s programme, the final weekend will see the continuation of the annual Wild Child and Water Heritage Days. On Saturday 23rd August, Wild Child Day will be encouraging children to explore the landscape around them in new ways, with events such as forest schools, scavenger hunts and nature crafting workshops. Water Heritage Day on Sunday 24th August will be looking at history and heritage in relation to the sea, rivers, lakes and wetlands in partnership with the Local Authority Waters Programme.

More information about the activities and how to get involved, including event listings and details of social media channels, can be found on the website, heritageweek.ie.