Leitrim project highlighted new booklet celebrating 25 years of Heritage Officer work

A special Heritage Council publication featuring stories from heritage officers in every county is being launched today to mark 25 years since the Heritage Officer Network was founded. 

‘Opening the door to Ireland’s heritage’ booklet details one key heritage project from each local authority from the last three years which collectively, highlight the enormous contribution the Network has made to the preservation of our heritage over the last quarter of a century.

The booklet features the story of Leitrim’s ‘Mummers’ Join Project’ which looked to revive the county’s long-held tradition of ‘mumming’, a custom in danger of vanishing completely. A type of folklore performance, mumming, dates back several centuries. It involves disguising oneself in costume and going door to door enacting a verse play, with a range of characters.

Throughout the project, several activities took place with the aim of renewing interest in this cultural heritage practice, the biggest of which was the growing of oat and flax seed by communities throughout Leitrim. 

These would be used to make straw hats, commonly used in mumming customs. A ‘Meitheal’ to harvest the oats was organised when the oats were ready for harvest. This was truly a community celebration with food laid on for the harvesters including some bacon and potatoes cooked on a traditional turf.

Since the project ended, twelve new mummer groups were formed across the county, with a captain in place for each group.

In a partnership between the Heritage Council and local authorities, the first heritage officers were appointed in 1999 in Kerry, Sligo and Galway with the aim of raising awareness of heritage issues within the local authority and among local communities. 

Since then, the heritage officer network has become synonymous with the protection and promotion of Ireland’s heritage and for the first time in 2021, every local authority in the country has appointed somebody to the role.

Speaking on the launch of the booklet, Heritage Officer for Leitrim County Council Sarah Malone said: “These stories cover only a snapshot of recently completed projects from current heritage officers, so when we factor in the hundreds of past projects completed since 1999, it brings into the focus the enormous impact that the Local Authority Heritage Officer Programme has had.”

Chairperson of the Heritage Council Martina Moloney added: “Raising awareness locally, Heritage Officers inspire communities to value and take ownership of their important local heritage in all its forms. What their work achieves, ultimately, is that it opens the door to our heritage for people across Ireland and further afield, so that it can be enjoyed and appreciated by everyone.”