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heritage · Wednesday 19 August 2026 · 3:00pm 
Shaped by Water, Seanchaithe Storytelling at Adare Heritage Centre
At Adare Heritage Centre · Main Street, Adare, Co. Limerick
At Adare Heritage Centre · Main Street, Adare, Co. Limerick
Shaped by Water is a Heritage Week storytelling event at Adare Heritage Centre on Wednesday, 19 August 2026, built around County Limerick’s relationship with its waterways. A traditional seanchaithe storyteller performs alongside live music, and the event doubles as a recording session for the Irish Community Archive, inviting attendees to share their own memories of the River Maigue, the River Shannon or Lough Gur. It is one of three Limerick venues running Shaped by Water events during National Heritage Week, which runs from 16 to 20 August 2026.
The format is part performance and part oral history project. A seanchaithe, the traditional Irish storyteller, opens the afternoon with tales connected to water and the local landscape, backed by live musicians, before the floor opens to anyone who wants to contribute a personal story or memory tied to the Maigue, the Shannon estuary or Lough Gur. Recordings feed into the Irish Community Archive, a public record of local oral history, so contributions become part of a permanent record rather than a one-off chat. The event is free and suitable for all ages, and no advance booking is required. It fits within the wider National Heritage Week programme, which runs events across the county on the theme of local heritage and community memory.
Adare Heritage Centre is on Main Street in the village, in the same building as the tourist office and heritage exhibition. Adare is well served by Bus Eireann routes between Limerick city and Killarney, and there is parking in the village.
Adare is one of Ireland’s best-known heritage villages, with its thatched cottages, Adare Castle and Franciscan Friary all within walking distance of the Heritage Centre. There is more to see in Adare and across Co. Limerick.
Heading to Adare Heritage Centre in Adare? Limerick has plenty more to see. Read the Adare area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.