Almost 90 events planned between Kilkenny and Carlow as Heritage Week begins today

A whole host of events get underway from today around Carlow and Kilkenny.

Heritage week begins today and runs until next Sunday.

If you’re into your local history, you’ll feel like Christmas has come early this week!

In Kilkenny especially, all the stops have been pulled out for the next seven days, with 72 events taking place.

Among the highlights are the visit of an old steam train to MacDonagh Junction Railway Station; a talk on the Kilkenny nursing casualties of World War 1; the Big Dig – an archaeological event for children; and you can learn about the pastimes of the Victorian era at Kilkenny Castle.

Today you can do a free guided tour of sites like St Mary’s Church in Gowran, the Military Museum in Kilkenny, and Jerpoint Park outside Thomastown.

In Carlow, there are 16 events planned for the week – among them: demonstrations of ‘Borris Lace’; a tour of Adelaide Memorial Church in Myshall; and a talk about Carlow’s involvement in the burning of the Dublin’s Custom House.

Today, you can take a paid tour of Huntington Castle, or attend a talk on the history of lace in Borris.

All the details can be found on www.heritageweek.ie.