Bringing heritage to life in our community
Our work is embedded in our community, a key tenant of our academic programs being that they must be of tangible benefit to the communities in which they are based.
Fundamental to that is our ethos of providing opportunities for all members of the community to experience at first hand the excitement of heritage focussed research in an open, friendly and engaging teaching environment.
We operate a wide range of community projects, as key components of our student programs, and as standalone community projects, workshops, courses and events. We work closely and in imaginative ways with local authorities, county heritage officers, schools, libraires and museums to bring heritage to life for local communities throughout Ireland.
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What people say
“I absolutely loved this course, it was informative at a very understandable level and opened my eyes to a new world right under my feet and my eyes. The lectures were great, fast moving, easy to understand with great resources for personal research in my own time. Really re-awakened my love of history in a different direction to the one which I was most familiar with initially.”
Janine, Birr, Co. Offaly
“Dig it Kids inspire children’s awe of the world’s real-life wonders, changing their perspective on topics they may have only read about in books”
Keith Bellows, VP National Geographic
“Dig it Kids have worked with us on a number of heritage projects including a children’s heritage trail, archaeology workshops for teachers, and heritage workshops for kids. They have delivered all of their work with enthusiasm and professionalism. The events have been great fun and informative.”
Dearbhala Ledwidge, County Kilkenny Heritage Officer
Who we work with
Dig it Kids
Dig it Kids, founded in 2010, inspires children’s love of learning through fun, hands-on activities and storytelling. We make archaeology and history exciting by encouraging imagination, crafts, dress-up, sand digging, and laughter. Our camps, workshops, and events foster kind, supportive environments for all. We proudly collaborate with schools via the Heritage in Schools Scheme, as well as libraries, heritage offices, and event planners to bring our unique learning experiences to a wider audience.
Know Your Locality
Heritage Officers in 12 counties have hosted our hybrid Know Your Locality courses, combining 5–6 evening online workshops with 1–2 local field trips. Limited to 25 participants, the course offers an engaging overview of Irish geology, archaeology, and history, while introducing participants to valuable online resources. The aim is to equip people with the tools to explore and research their own local and national heritage independently.
Community Monuments Fund
We are proud to have been part of numerous successful Community Monuments Fund applications in recent years in county Offaly. These government funded projects invest in Ireland’s archaeological heritage and is targeted at the care, conservation, maintenance and promotion of archaeological monuments.
Heritage Events
We undertake natural and archaeological heritage events, walks and workshops in communities throughout Ireland on a regular basis. Free of charge thanks to the generous funding of local and state authorities and organisations, these range from geology walks to tours of archaeological sites to family fun days hosted in our office garden.