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LAWPRO: National Heritage Week Awards

Cork’s Conna Community Council scoops Water Heritage Award at National Heritage Week Awards 2025

Three individuals stand on a stage during National Heritage Week. One person holds a trophy, another holds a framed certificate, with a purple-lit backdrop featuring leaf patterns behind them. — *The Cork group’s kayak tour of the River Bride claimed the national award in today’s ceremony in Dublin.*

The Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) welcomes the announcement that Conna Community Council from Co. Cork is the winner of the Water Heritage Award as part of the National Heritage Week Awards 2025.

Funded by LAWPRO, the award recognises projects and events that explore, celebrate, and protect Ireland’s waterways, highlighting the importance of rivers, lakes, canals, and coasts in our heritage. The events shortlisted for the Water Heritage Award took place during National Heritage Week from 16th-24th August 2025, culminating in Water Heritage Day on 24th August 2025.

This year’s Water Heritage Award winner is Conna Community Council from Co. Cork, whose ‘Paddling the Past – A Heritage Kayak Tour of the River Bride’ proved to be a resounding success. During the event, kayakers experienced the landscape from a new perspective. Talks from local historians and games for all ages beside the river brought the water body to life and the kayak tour allowed attendees to learn more about the River Bride’s natural and cultural heritage. In addition, LAWPRO Community Water Officer for Cork, Ellen Murphy, demonstrated how to examine river invertebrates and gave a talk about water quality, biosecurity and invasive species management along the river.

Congratulations also to the runners up in the 2025 Water Heritage Award:

‘For the Love of Bats’ by Ballycumber Tidy Towns and Freshwater Ballycumber Brosna from Co. Offaly.
‘Spirit of the Water – An evening of music and spoken word at the Tin Church Laragh’ organised by Friends of the Upper Annalee in Co. Monaghan.

Kayakers paddle under a historic stone bridge covered in greenery, while onlookers stand above. The river is calm and surrounded by lush vegetation. — Paddling the Past: A Heritage Kayak on the River Bride’ organised by Conna Community Council took place during Heritage Week 2025.

Minister of State with responsibility for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Christopher O’Sullivan TD congratulated the winners, saying:

“The Water Heritage Award, as part of the National Heritage Week Awards, is a welcome reminder of the passion local communities have for their rivers, lakes, streams, coastal and other waterbodies. With the help of funding from my Department, it gives community groups across Ireland a chance to understand their waterways in a new way, putting history, heritage and culture into the heart of our connection with our waters.

“A huge congratulations to Cork’s Conna Community Council for taking the top prize for their kayak tour of the River Bride, and to the runners up – Co. Monaghan’s Friends of the Upper Annalee, and Ballycumber Tidy Towns and Freshwater Ballycumber Brosna from Co. Offaly – for organising excellent events during Heritage Week.”

Anthony Coleman, Director of Services with LAWPRO, added:

“In partnership with the Heritage Council, LAWPRO was delighted to support Heritage Week events across Ireland in 2025. LAWPRO provided over €30,000 to support 85 Heritage Week events nationwide with more than 3,000 participants involved. The events that took place showcased the extraordinary efforts of community groups and members of the public dedicated to safeguarding and promoting our shared heritage.”

Every year, event organisers from across Ireland bring their passion and expertise to create memorable and inspiring heritage experiences for the public during National Heritage Week. In 2025, over 2,500 events took place nationwide as communities embrace the Heritage Council’s invitation to explore this year’s theme, “Exploring Our Foundations.” These events highlight a shared commitment to preserving and celebrating Ireland’s heritage.

The winner and runners up of the Water Heritage Award were unveiled alongside all of the other category winners at the National Heritage Week Awards ceremony on 17th October 2025, which was also live streamed on www.heritageweek.ie.

Learn more

For more information about National Heritage Week and this year’s award winners, visit www.heritageweek.ie.

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EPA Catchments Unit

Administrator

The EPA Catchments Unit is based in Dublin, and the team is involved with catchment science, chemistry, ecology, hydromorphology, modelling, Geographic Information Systems and planning. We work with the wider EPA, all of our local authorities, the Local Authority Waters and Communities Office, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, and other public bodies and Departments to ensure we have the best available data and information about our catchments.

Who is involved?
Quite simply, everyone in Ireland has a role to play. This can be from something as simple as making sure you don’t pollute your local stream, or a local community working together to establish a Rivers Trust to enhance the rivers and lakes in their area, to a Government Department or Agency helping a Minister implement a new policy to help protect and enhance all our water bodies.

This website has been developed and is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, and is a collaboration between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Local Authority Waters Programme.

Local Authority Waters Programme

The Local Authority Waters Programme coordinates the efforts of local authorities and other public bodies in the implementation of the River Basin Management Plan, and supports local community and stakeholder involvement in managing our natural waters, for everyone’s benefit.

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA is responsible for coordinating the monitoring, assessment and reporting on the status of our 4,842 water bodies, looking at trends and changes, determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives for each.

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Department is responsible for making sure that the right policies, regulations and resources are in place to implement the Water Framework Directive, and developing a River Basin Management Plan and Programme of Measures to protect and restore our waters.