Limerick event ‘All About Otters’ wins National Heritage Week Award 2025

Wild Child Award winners, Maigue Rivers Trust, are presented with the award for All About Otters event by Nicole Kiernan, Virginia Teehan, Heritage Council CEO; Dr Martina Moloney, Heritage Council chairperson and MC Síle Seoige at the Heritage Council’s National Heritage Week awards ceremony in the Royal Hospital, Kilminaham. Photo: Alf Harvey, no reproduction fee

Wild Child Day – All About Otters from the Maigue Rivers Trust from County Limerick wins National Heritage Week Award 2025

The winners of the National Heritage Week Awards 2025 were announced at a ceremony on Friday, October 17, at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin.

Wild Child Day – All About Otters from the Maigue Rivers Trust from County Limerick won the Wild Child Award, reflecting the county’s contribution to National Heritage Week. The awards are run by The Heritage Council, which promotes awareness of the importance of Ireland’s heritage to communities across the island.

The awards celebrate the passion and commitment shown by individuals and communities across the country in protecting, sharing, and showcasing Ireland’s rich heritage. It was a wonderful occasion that highlighted the deep sense of care and pride people have for Ireland’s cultural, built, and natural heritage. This year’s National Heritage Week was the biggest yet, with over 2,500 events registered and 400,000 people taking part in family-friendly activities that celebrate Ireland’s built, cultural, and natural heritage. Limerick hosted 49 events during National Heritage Week, highlighting the county’s major role in this year’s celebrations.

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The 2025 National Heritage Week Awards feature a wide range of national categories, reflecting the diversity of heritage across Ireland — from themes like Exploring Our Foundations, Wild Child, and Water Heritage, to Inclusive Heritage, Irish Language, Sustainability and Climate, and Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The winner in Limerick was Wild Child Day – All About Otters from the Maigue Rivers Trust, which received the Wild Child Award. This award recognises events that took place on Wild Child Day, 23rd August 2025, and successfully encouraged children and families to get outdoors and explore the richness of natural heritage and biodiversity in their local area. The event was led by otter expert Albert Nolan at Lough Gur and included activities such as exploring otter ecology, tracking, and building holts, making it a fun-filled and educational day as part of Heritage Week.

Virginia Teehan, Chief Executive of the Heritage Council, said: “The Heritage Council would like to congratulate the winners of this year’s National Heritage Week Awards. Deciding on the final winners was a challenging task as there were so many wonderful events to choose from. The winning events all helped to bring creativity and connection to our communities in their own special way.

“The Awards provide an important opportunity to recognise and celebrate the dedication, and hard work of communities across Ireland who bring our shared heritage to life. I am grateful to all those that have taken the time to share their knowledge, time and passion with others. It is fantastic to see how much people value their local heritage, and the Heritage Council is honoured to support and showcase these remarkable efforts.”

Limerick Co Council Heritage Officer, Tom O’Neill said, “I am very proud to say that Co Limerick has won a National Heritage Week Award. Wild Child Day- All about Otters from the Maigue Rivers Trust won the ‘Wild Child Award’ for Co Limerick. It was an amazing and unique event that shined a light on our natural heritage and creativity.  Congratulations on coming together to create such a memorable event, and thank you for all the hard work that was put in.”