Athlone Castle team to host Heritage Week events
Athlone Castle Visitor Centre is preparing to present a series of events for National Heritage Week this month.
The Athlone Castle team will share ways to preserve local knowledge and history during 'Documenting Athlone Castle's Collection' workshops on Saturday, August 15, at Abbey Road Artists’ Studios.
Hands-on workshops will take place throughout the day to suit different age groups. Workshops for children aged 7 to 12 years will take place from 11am to 12:30 pm, for teenagers aged 13 to 17 the workshops will be from 1.30pm to 3pm, and for participants aged 18 onwards from 3:30 pm to 5 pm.
During each session, participants will learn how museum collections are monitored and catalogued by handling artefacts safely, photographing and measuring objects, recording materials and condition, and writing catalogue entries for inclusion in a digital collections catalogue.
These workshops aim to provide a fascinating insight into the work involved in preserving Athlone's tangible heritage for future generations. Places for these free workshops are limited, so booking in advance is required.
On Sunday, August 23, Athlone Castle will host 'Checkmate! An Epic Live Chess Battle Between the Connaught and Leinster Sides of Athlone'. This free event aims to bring the ancient game of chess to life for a modern audience.
The location will be the public park at Abbey Road Graveyard. Local children aged 7 to 14 are invited to sign up to participate in the event, during which they will don medieval-style costume props and step onto the board as life-size pieces, directed by youth players from Athlone-based clubs.
The Castle team is delighted to collaborate with Jonathan O’Connor, chess coach and Irish senior champion, who will be on-hand on the day to guide and speculate on what promises to be a dramatic contest of strategy and skill.
Booking in advance is required only for children who wish to take part as the live chess pieces.
This project has been supported with funding from The Heritage Council For further details on events and bookings, visit: www.athlonecastle.ie/events.