NATIONAL Heritage Week saw events held up and down the country, celebrating Irish culture and heritage. Among the very interesting events held was that organised by Devine Equestrian last Thursday at Lisanurlan, Co Longford, entitled promoting the ‘Irish Cob and the Traveller Way’.

As 2018 is the European Year of Cultural Heritage, this year’s heritage week was aimed at encouraging communities throughout Ireland to make a connection with Irish and European heritage.

The heritage event at Lisanurlan highlighted the amazing work that Brigid Devine does in conserving, preserving and understanding Ireland’s cultural heritage through the Irish cob and the Traveller way of life. Some of Ireland’s best Irish cobs, in a variety of colours descending from native bloodlines, could be seen on the day. These cobs were exhibited by both Devine Equestrian and Ballydangan Irish Cobs.

Devine has consistently highlighted her grave concerns about the diminishing numbers of this native Irish breed of horse and is presently working with Horse Sport Ireland and the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine in an effort to preserve these cobs.

Visitors on the day also viewed replica barrel top wagons and met with wheelwright Andrew Daly to see his wheelwrighting exhibition.

The Longford Community Resources’ Traveller Project also had a photographic exhibition of traveller ways. This event in Longford was most successful and was attended by hundreds of visitors, not only from Longford, but from Offaly, Westmeath, Roscommon, Wicklow, Dublin, Mayo, Monaghan, Kildare, Sligo, Wexford, Limerick, Cavan and Tyrone as well as visitors from the UK, France, Germany, Czech Republic, USA and Canada.