Heritage Week returns to libraries across Northern Ireland

Libraries NI is delighted to welcome Heritage Week back to libraries across Northern Ireland, with a wide-ranging programme of events taking place from Monday 9 to Saturday 14 March 2026.

Shaped around the theme Know Your Place, this year’s Heritage Week brings together historians, researchers, writers, musicians and heritage specialists to explore the stories, records and ideas that shape where we live. Events will take place in libraries across Northern Ireland and online, offering opportunities for people to engage with heritage in practical and accessible ways.

Photo: Paul Clements launches Heritage Week; Paul is a writer and travel author who is hosting the ‘A Year in the Woods’ event on 10 March in Downpatrick Library.

The programme spans local history, language, archives, migration, music and family research, featuring expert-led talks, workshops, screenings and hands-on sessions. Some events focus closely on individual towns, landscapes or collections, while others place local stories within wider national and international contexts.

Among the headline events is A Year in the Woods with writer and travel author Paul Clements, taking place in Downpatrick Library on Tuesday 10 March. Drawing on his latest book, Paul reflects on a year spent living in a woodland cottage on the historic Montalto estate, weaving personal observation with deep cultural and historical insight. A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and President of the Belfast Literary Society, Paul also reflects on the life and legacy of Francis Joseph Bigger, offering a thoughtful exploration of place, memory and heritage.

Jim O’Hagan, Chief Executive of Libraries NI, said:

“Heritage Week is an important opportunity to showcase the role libraries play in helping people access and understand their heritage. Through our collections, partnerships and events, libraries provide spaces where history can be explored, questioned and shared. This year’s programme encourages people to engage with the place they live in and to discover the stories and records that help explain it.”

Libraries NI’s Heritage Week programme also highlights the breadth of heritage resources available through libraries, including archives, maps and local studies collections, alongside expert insight from leading speakers and partner organisations.

Full details of all events, including dates, times and booking information, are available here.

View our Heritage Week events brochure below: