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heritage · Saturday 15 August 2026 · Various 
National Heritage Week County Clare Programme 2026
At Various venues across County Clare · County Clare
At Various venues across County Clare · County Clare
Every August, Heritage Week opens up sites and stories that are normally locked away or simply overlooked. For nine days across County Clare, community groups, museums, libraries, archaeological sites and heritage centres lay on a free programme of guided walks, talks, craft demonstrations, exhibitions and family activities - all at no cost and open to anyone with an interest in what makes Clare tick. The 2026 theme is “Heritage at Risk,” which gives the whole week a welcome urgency: a collective prompt to notice what is fragile, fading or under threat, and to engage with it before it changes.
The Clare programme is one of the fuller county offerings in Ireland, regularly running to 70 or more events across the nine days. Clare County Council’s Heritage Office co-ordinates the local calendar alongside community groups, the OPW, Clare Museum and local historical societies, so the range is genuine rather than token.
Standout events for 2026 include a guided tour of Ennis Friary on Abbey Street - the oldest building in Ennis, once a Franciscan friary, later a courthouse and Church of Ireland church, now an OPW heritage site. Tours on 15 August run at 12pm and 3pm; the friary is fully wheelchair accessible and free every day from 10am to 5pm. Out in North Clare, Corcomroe Abbey gets a dedicated talk exploring how the Cistercians transformed the landscape and monastic life when they arrived in the early 13th century. Other events span the Ardnacrusha hydro-electric station, architectural walking trails in Ennis, an exploration of Toomeens Caves in Tulla, and a screening tied to Dorothea Lange’s remarkable photographs of West Clare.
The full programme is published progressively on heritageweek.ie as events confirm. Search “Clare” to filter the national listings, or check clarecoco.ie for the council’s own round-up. Most individual events require advance booking - spaces at popular guided tours fill quickly.
Ennis is the county town of Clare and the natural base for the week. It sits on the N18, about 25 minutes south of Galway city and 35 minutes north of Limerick, with straightforward motorway connections from Dublin via the M7/M18. Bus Eireann runs regular services from Limerick, Galway and Athlone into Ennis Bus Station on Station Road. Parking in town is available in the Cathedral car park and off Carmody Street. For events outside Ennis - Corcomroe, Ardnacrusha, Tulla - you will need a car, as public transport links to rural Clare are limited.
Heritage Week is a good excuse to spend a proper day in Ennis rather than passing through. The town has a compact medieval streetscape, the Clare Museum on Arthur’s Row for year-round context, and a good range of cafes and pubs along O’Connell Street and Parnell Street. There is more to see in Ennis and across Co. Clare.
Heading to Various venues across County Clare in Ennis? Clare has plenty more to see. Read the Ennis area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.