Six water themed events in Galway awarded funding for Heritage Week

Six water-themed events in Galway have been awarded funding to take place on Water Heritage Day this Sunday.

Overall €30,665.25 in funding has been awarded for 82 events in 24 counties under the ‘Water Heritage Day Grants Scheme 2025’.

Under the grants scheme, local communities and groups were invited to apply for financial assistance to support the delivery of events and initiatives celebrating Water Heritage Day on Sunday, 24^th August.

Water Heritage Day celebrates water throughout Ireland, its history and heritage and our connections with it. Projects approved for funding in Galway this year include:

• Joyce Country and Western Lakes Geopark- Raise awareness of the Arctic char’s existence in Lough Mask and the threat of extinction (€961).
• Oyster Country Heritage Group (Clarinbridge Tidy Towns subcommittee)- Highlight the heritage of the area from the past to the present (€400).
• Portumna Festival committee subgroup of Portumna CC- To inform the local community of the rich heritage of the area and demonstrate the significance of the Shannon and its rich biodiversity and significant cultural heritage (€400).
• Corrib Beo CLG- ‘Loch Corrib: A Rich Heritage / Loch Coirib, Oidhreacht Shaibhir’ (€400).
• Glenamaddy Tidy Towns- To increase awareness of the uniqueness of Turloughs worldwide and, in particular, the details of Glenamaddy Turlough (€400).

Minister of State with responsibility for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD welcomed this announcement: “The Water Heritage Day Grants Scheme gives communities and groups across Ireland the opportunity to organise events that celebrate and raise awareness about their local waterbodies. This grants scheme is an investment in the protection and restoration of good water quality nationwide. It allows people to create connections with their rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands and coastal waters in new and innovative ways.”

Held in partnership with The Heritage Council, Water Heritage Day takes place as part of National Heritage Week 2025, which runs from 16^th to 24^th August. The theme of Heritage Week 2025 is “Exploring Our Foundations”.

As part of Heritage Week there are awards for events held throughout the week. If you are holding a Water Heritage Day event you can submit your event to be considered for a Water Heritage Award. More information on the awards can be found here: www.heritageweek.ie/awards