Heritage Week 2020 – Leitrim’s prehistoric past

Scéal Heritage were delighted to be a part of Heritage Week 2020 by being a contributor to the new “Connecting with Heritage” podcast series created on behalf of Leitrim County Council. The podcast series aims to highlight much of Leitrim’s natural, built, and cultural heritage from the people who know most about it. The podcast shares stories about potato planting and traditional farming methods; an overview of ecology and conservation; discussion on what sets Leitrim’s singing and fiddle music apart from other counties, and the importance of Leitrim’s prehistoric archaeology – all from a range of experts and local people passionate about heritage.

Scéal spoke about the importance of the prehistoric archaeological landscape in Leitrim. We highlighted some of the wonderful monuments such as the passage tombs at Sheemore and Sheebeg, and the wealth of wonderful artefacts which have been uncovered in Leitrim, including the Keshcarrigan Bowl and the Annadale shield (pictured above, image copyright NMI). You can listen to the podcast through either of the links below:

https://leitrimheritage.buzzsprout.com/

Musical Heritage – Connecting Through Heritage with Leitrim County Council

ContributorsFionnuala Maxwell is a singer and teacher who has made it her mission to promote and recover Leitrim’s musical heritage. She finds the lyrics or music of often forgotten Leitrim songs in historical manuscripts or publications, and performs her own interpretations of them. In this episode she takes us through a song called ‘The Little Hills o’ Leitrim’ which she found in an old Irish-American newspaper.Conor Ward is a fiddler living in Cootehall. He learned his craft in local céilí bands, where he was first introduced to the music of Leitrim. He has recently completed a masters on a musical manuscript found in the 1960s, which traces the fiddling tradition of Leitrim and Longford to one nineteenth century source: the style and teaching of Thomas ‘Blind’ Kiernan.

1. Musical Heritage 33:34
2. Local History 42:09
3. Traditional Farming 30:56
4. Ecology 32:16
5. Leitrim Prehistory 33:48