Greystones Heritage Week

Thankfully, there are a few goodies planned for Greystones during the national Heritage Week in August…

The two Greystones events listed so far for this annual celebration of our glorious roots are happening at St Crispin’s Cell and in the suddenly-open-all-hours Freemason Hall.

Organised by those Greystones Tidy Towns scamps, the St Crispin’s Cell talk takes place on Saturday, August 18th, from 3pm to 5.30pm, and will explore the history of this fine local landmark – named after the patron saint of shoemakers, no less. The day kicks off with an ecumenical song celebration featuring the coming together of St Patrick’s, Holy Rosary and Delgany choirs along with a traditional Irish group. More here.

There’s also the Geology Walk Along Greystones taking place, funnily enough, along our seafront. Starting at 10.30am at the lifeguard hut on the South Beach, this is a popular Heritage Week attraction, so, get there early!

Later in the evening, those fun-loving Freemasons will be hosting a free 8pm talk about their Greystones history. Entitled Stories From Freemasons In Ireland, the idea is to have local members tell their personal tales of life at the Emerald Lodge No.49 on Hillside Road. Expect strong language and explicit violence. And tea and coffee.

In deepest, darkest Delgany, grave gobber Lalli de Buitlear will be giving free tours of the Old Burial Ground on Sunday, August 19th (noon to 1.30pm), Thursday 23rd (11.30am to 1pm) and Saturday 25th (11.30am to 1pm).

You can find out more about these tours right here.

Over in Kilcoole on Saturday 18th, Luisne will be opening up its beautiful Georgian house and walled garden for a photo exhibition, entertainment and finger food, served by staff in 18th century garb. Admission is €5 for adults, and €10 per family, whilst children must be accompanied by an adult. You can book your spot by calling 0860517575 or emailing [email protected]. More info here.

Historian and novelist Michael Seery will be back in his native Enniskerry to give a talk on the history of the village.

Taking place at the library on Saturday, August 18th, the fun kicks off at 11.30am.

On Monday, August 20th, the Matt Skinner documentary Circus Born gets a big-screen outing at Signal Arts Centre in Bray, at 8pm. Find out more about the mysterious Signal – home of internationally renowned artist Kaisa Ypya – right about here.

Bray Cualann Historical Society will be hosting a walking tour of Victorian Bray on Wednesday 22nd, meeting at Sidmonton Square at 7pm, and taking in Novara Terrance, Galtrim Road and Meath Road, to see what changes the railway brought to the town. The walk will happen again on Saturday, same place but at 3pm.

The following day, Thursday, the society is at Ballywaltrim Library, for a free talk at 11.30am on what life was like in Bray during this same week in 1943, with the fourth year of the Emergency in full effect. Find out more about the Bray Cualann Historical Society here.

On August 25th, the Season Park Farm Allotments over in Newtownmountkennedy will be opening up their gates from 2pm to 5pm, to reveal what the gardeners have been up to, especially when it comes to cultural diversity and their Nectar Way concept. You can find out more here.

Also on the 25th, Wicklow Birdwatch are hosting a Butterfly Walk & Seedbomb Workshop at the East Coast Nature Reserve on Sea Road, Newcastle from 11am to 2pm – you can email [email protected] for further info – whilst Bray historian Brian White will be at Kilruddery at 11am for a talk at the estate’s historic library. You need to book for this one – email [email protected].

Newcastle is the place to be on Sunday 26th, with an Ancient Woodland Walk & Talk taking place at Ballyvolan Wood. Meeting at the community centre at 2.30pm, local history and heritage will be discussed along the route, whilst admission is free for this event, which is suitable for children under 12 and has partial wheelchair access. You can find out more on the Newcastle website here, or contact the organisers on 0872381060 or [email protected].

Oh, and if you’ve ever wondered about the history of the Wicklow Lighthouse, you can step inside on Sunday 26th, from 10am to 4pm, for a self-guided tour of his 18th-century landmark. Literally.

And, hey, that would appear to be Greystones lot for Heritage Week. If you know of any other events, please let us know on [email protected], and we’ll add it to de pile.

You can explore the nationwide Heritage Week events here.