As part of the recent National Heritage Week 2010 celebrations, Westmeath County Library Service was delighted to play host to a number of events.
On Tuesday morning of Heritage Week, which ran from August 21 to 29, Athlone Library was stormed by Norman invaders, as children used clothes, weapons, and tools provided by Mike Moylan to bring Norman history to life. Meanwhile on Tuesday afternoon, Moate Library was swamped with Vikings as Irish History Live continued to immerse children in the world of the Vikings.
In addition, libraries in Westmeath have been hosting a range of exhibitions. In Moate Library, visitors could explore the Vikings in Moate, with information based on the findings from the Ballinderry Crannóg.
The Aidan Heavey Library in Athlone celebrated 800 years of the history of Athlone Castle with a display of photographs. In addition, entries from the ‘Heritage on your Doorstep’ competition run by Athlone Community Radio could be viewed in the library.
Castlepollard Library explored family history with an exhibition of work by local historian Micheal Ó Conlain. Micheal has amassed research on the Fagan dynasty who were a force in the Barony of Fore, with over 1,000 families living there in the 1800s. Monday saw the launch of the exhibition entitled ‘Is your name Fagan?’, with local members of the Fagan clan joining Micheal for the launch.
Mullingar Library also celebrated Musical Moments, giving people an opportunity to explore the importance of music in Westmeath.
Westmeath County Library Service is proud to support the National Heritage Week’s aim of building awareness and education of our heritage.
