On 8 July, I launched the first of a series of monthly lectures organised by my Department’s National Monuments Service as part of The Gathering celebrations. The lectures, to which admission is free, highlight the influences of cultural and historical developments in each of the regions on the lecture circuit and have generated considerable interest from local groups and communities. The lectures will continue up to November. Full details are published on my Department’s website www.archaeology.ie.
My Department is always anxious to provide the public with information about our history and heritage and takes up such opportunities whenever they are presented. In another similar initiative, the Department is publishing a series of articles on Ireland’s archaeological heritage in the Irish Examiner, beginning in September.
While the lecture series I have recently launched is taking place as part of this year’s Gathering, my Department will continue in the future to engage with communities and other groups, whenever possible, to assist them in understanding and appreciating their own unique local heritage.