Project by Heritage Group in Offaly wins major award

THERE was wonderful news in South Offaly on Friday last when it was announced that Shinrone Heritage Group had won the County Heritage Award, at The Heritage Council's National Heritage Week Awards Ceremony in Dublin.

The County Award was for SHG’s “Unstitching the 17th Century Shinrone Gown”, one of the most unique projects to be undertaken in the county in recent years.

As well as its National Awards the Heritage Council gives a County Award to the best event or project in each Local Authority Area. The award is based on how well the event or project raised awareness about an element of heritage and how they promoted the event and involved the community.

Speaking to the Midland Tribune, Ger Murphy of Shinrone Heritage Group revealed that the award was a complete surprise, as they had not been aware the project had been nominated. “We learned of the Award from Heritage Officer Amanda Pedlow, who was attending the ceremony, and reached out with the wonderful news,” he said.

Michael Leonard, Chair of the Group, noted that the award is a “wonderful recognition of our community efforts to celebrate the rich history, traditions, and culture that have shaped Shinrone and its environs.”

Ger added, “Our goal has always been to preserve, celebrate, and share the unique heritage that defines our community, and this award reaffirms the importance of our purpose.”

Ger was keen to emphasise that objects such as the Shinrone Gown act as bridges between the past and the present, “acting as living symbols of our community’s shared story. The Gown plays a crucial role in preserving our local identity, fostering pride in our past, and inspiring current and future generations to remain connected to a sense of place.”

Joe Cleary and Marguerite Walsh, who have long championed having the Shinrone Gown replicated, feel the Award inspires all in Shinrone to continue the Heritage Group's work with even greater enthusiasm as they continue to build up the collection of Shinrone National School's Museum.

The Shinrone Gown was a whole community effort and SHG was evidently so grateful to everyone who supported the project — the artists, local community, historians, Offaly Heritage Office, and volunteers. And it was the dedication and passion of artists Rosalind Fanning and Bernie Stapleton to recreate the gown and engage with the community that was the backbone of this project. “Both Bernie and Rosalind's collective efforts to recreate the Shinrone Gown,” continued Ger, “have allowed the community in South Offaly to bring our shared history to life and ensure it is passed down to future generations.”

Bernie and Rosalind however were more modest, with Rosalind feeling she had been privileged to be entrusted with the Shinrone Gown story. Bernie was equally reflective, and when speaking to the Midland Tribune, explained that the project had brought her in touch with a whole range of people whom she would otherwise have never met. “The Gown Project has given me a renewed purpose among the communities of South Offaly,” she said.

And speaking of communities, Shirone Heritage Group was keen to mention that the wider Offaly heritage community had received several Heritage Council awards and recognitions including James Scully, Ballycumber Tidy Towns, The Heritage Boat Association & Inland Waterways Association and Lemanaghan Bog Heritage & Conservation Group.

SHG’s secretary Ann-Marie Healy summed up the feeling that all Heritage Council recipients are simply a small representative of all the individuals and groups in every corner of Offaly who promote and support all things heritage in the County.

Ger Murphy. on behalf of SHG, wished to thank the Heritage Office Team including Amanda Pedlow, Karen Gray, and the Creative Ireland Panel for supporting the “Unstitching the 17th Century Shinrone Gown” project; adding that the County Award was also a recognition of their progressive and endless support to the community heritage sector here in County Offaly.