Athlone's Gearóid O'Brien is named 'Ireland's Heritage Hero' for 2026

Athlone historian, writer and broadcaster Gearóid O’Brien has been named as Ireland's 2026 Heritage Hero, ahead of the annual National Heritage Week Awards ceremony this Thursday.

The Heritage Hero award, presented by The Heritage Council, recognises an individual or organisation that has made an outstanding, long-term contribution to the protection and promotion of Ireland’s heritage.

Based solely on public nominations, it is regarded as a lifetime achievement award.

An initiative of the Heritage Council, this year’s National Heritage Week took place under the theme ‘Heritage at Risk’. It featured the largest programme in the event’s history with over 2,600 events taking place nationwide.

During National Heritage Week 2026, Gearóid O'Brien led guided tours of Athlone’s last remaining Napoleonic gun batteries and the medieval town walls of Athlone.

He took part in an afternoon of poetry, and wrote a play called What’s This Heritage Malarkey?, which was staged by members of the Connaught Street and Environs Community Group at Connaught Gardens.

Gearóid has championed Athlone’s heritage for more than 50 years, spending his professional life as Senior Executive Librarian with responsibility for the Aidan Heavey Library in Athlone until his retirement in 2018.

Upon his retirement, the Westmeath Independent reported that he had “left an indelible mark on public service, local history and culture, and the accumulated knowledge of his beloved hometown”.

His commitment to protecting the town’s heritage began while he was still at secondary school in the early 1970s, when he joined a campaign to preserve the Athlone Canal and the Thomas Omer Bridge.

More than half a century later, he remains a dedicated advocate for the canal and a prominent member of the Canal Heritage Group.

Gearóid has contributed to numerous historical and heritage organisations in Athlone, including the Connaught Street and Environs Community Group, the Old Athlone Society and the Athlone Number 1 Gun Battery project.

His donation of the Brendan O’Brien Collection, which focuses on the All-Ireland Drama Festival, to TUS Archives & Special Collections has helped preserve an important part of Ireland’s cultural history.

Gearóid writes Athlone Miscellany, the longest-running history column (36 years) in any regional newspaper in Ireland, for the Westmeath Independent. He has also contributed to Athlone Community Radio, where he presented Street Wise, a series exploring the historical geography of regional roads and structures.

An accomplished poet, writer and broadcaster, Gearóid’s work has appeared in Irish and international literary publications. He won the Desmond O’Grady International Poetry Competition in 2013 and the Hanna Greally Literary Award for Poetry in 2015.

Virginia Teehan, Chief Executive of the Heritage Council, said: “Gearóid O’Brien is a deserving recipient. He has combined a deep and varied local knowledge of heritage with a remarkable ability to communicate with and energise others through his writing and other creative endeavours.

“His commitment to Athlone is inspirational and demonstrates how one person’s passion can galvanise community.”

Gearóid O’Brien, recipient of the 2026 Heritage Hero Award, said: “I was overwhelmed by the news of my selection.

“My interest in heritage and local history has grown steadily over the past 60 years and I’m still genuinely excited about the prospect of new research and the ever-growing availability of online resources.

“I think there is an onus on us all as citizens to be aware of the importance of our heritage: be it natural heritage, the built environment or the lore and traditions of our local areas. Such an awareness enriches our lives immeasurably.”

Congratulating Mr O'Brien on his award, Christopher O’Sullivan, Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity said: "Gearóid O’Brien represents the very best of Ireland’s heritage community. For more than 50 years, he has worked with knowledge and generosity to protect Athlone’s heritage and bring its stories to life.

"From his earliest campaigns to his storied writing career, he has helped generations understand that heritage is something living and worth safeguarding.

"At a time when so much of our heritage is at risk, his example and great work at a local and national level shows the difference one committed person can make," the Minister of State added.

The winners of the 2026 National Heritage Week Awards will be announced at a ceremony in the Grand Hall at the RDS, Dublin, this Thursday. The event will be streamed live on heritageweek.ie.