dlr Heritage events and places to visit
Heritage Events
Spring into Heritage and Summer of Heritage
Spring into Heritage and Summer of Heritage are a series of free guided tours, walks and talks run by the Heritage Office of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. They are suitable for local residents, visitors, schools, students, families, community groups, active retired and historic groups interested in local heritage.
These free guided tours reveal the fascinating history of our everyday surroundings - places you might pass by all the time, and wonder - "what happened there?", "what it it like inside?" We have tours to suit everyone, in many locations, including Big Houses, Churches, Burial Grounds, Obelisks, Castles, Civic Buildings, Museums, Martello Towers, Nature Trails, and talks about various aspects of our local area.
All our Spring into Heritage and Summer of Heritage events can be found here.
Spring into Heritage 2026
Spring into Heritage 2026 will commence on March 3oth and run until the May 3rd 2026.
View the full Spring into Heritage brochure
Book events in the Spring into Heritage programme
Free guided tours of local landmarks, towns, and villages include:
- National Maritime Museum
- Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre
- Historic County Hall Tour
- The Oratory
- Marlay House
- Cabinteely House
- Fernhill Park & Gardens Walk
National Heritage Week
National Heritage Week celebrates Ireland’s cultural, built and natural heritage. It brings together volunteers, community groups and heritage enthusiasts to share their experience, knowledge culture and practices.
National Heritgage Week 2026 will commence on 15 – 23 August 2026. In 2026, National Heritage Week explores the theme “Heritage at Risk” At a time of accelerating environmental change, social transformation, and technological shift, the theme invites us to reflect on what is putting our heritage at risk — and how we can respond with care, creativity, and collective responsibility.
Explore what's happening near you and plan your Heritage Week adventure in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.
2026 Heritage Events
All heritage events in 2026 could be found here:
May
Spring into Heritage
Join us to explore local landmarks and luminaries with a programme of FREE heritage tours and talks from 30th March to 3rd May 2026.
View the full Spring into Heritage brochure
Book events in the Spring into Heritage programme
Free guided tours of local landmarks, towns, and villages include:
National Maritime Museum
Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre
Historic County Hall Tour
The Oratory
Marlay House
Cabinteely House
Fernhill Park & Gardens Walk
April
Spring into Heritage
Join us to explore local landmarks and luminaries with a programme of FREE heritage tours and talks from 30th March to 3rd May 2026.
View the full Spring into Heritage brochure
Book events in the Spring into Heritage programme
Free guided tours of local landmarks, towns, and villages include:
National Maritime Museum
Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre
Historic County Hall Tour
The Oratory
Marlay House
Cabinteely House
Fernhill Park & Gardens Walk
March
Spring into Heritage
Join us to explore local landmarks and luminaries with a programme of FREE heritage tours and talks from 30th March to 3rd May 2026.
View the full Spring into Heritage brochure
Book events in the Spring into Heritage programme
Free guided tours of local landmarks, towns, and villages include:
National Maritime Museum
Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre
Historic County Hall Tour
The Oratory
Marlay House
Cabinteely House
Fernhill Park & Gardens WalkSeachtain na Gaeilge 2026
This March, explore a fantastic programme of free Irish language guided tours across OPW sites. It’s the perfect chance to enjoy our national treasures while using and celebrating the Irish language.
Two great local OPW heritage sites will be welcoming visitors as Gaeilge:
Caisleán Rath Fearnáin - Rathfarnham Castle
Músaem na bPiarsach, Rath Fearnáin - Pearse Museum
Explore the full programme
February
Dressing Dublin: Made in Blackrock Exhibition
DLR Heritage and Laura Fitzachary are proud to present a short film and an exhibtion focusing on a small area of Blackrock, its former clothing and textile industry, and the people at the heart of it. From Glen Abbey Textiles to ‘The Rock’ hosiery factory, this event explores an often overlooked part of dress and social history. Told through the memories of former employees in the form of panels and a short film, the history of Brookfield Terrace to Carysfort Avenue is just as important to this story as the clothing manufacturing itself. This former hub of clothing and importantly, tights production was a microcosm echoing a wider tale of how the clothing industry developed in Ireland from the 1930s until its decline in the 1980s.Funded by the Heritage Council, Creative Ireland and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport and part of the County Heritage Plan’s ambition to platform untold local stories and support creative approaches to heritage.
A Short Film Screening will be hold on 13 February, 7pm at DLR LexIcon.Booking is required via DLR Eventbrite.
The Exhibition will run from February 14th - 22nd on Level 4 at DLR LexIcon, and February 23rd – March 9th in Blackrock Library.