15 August 2025
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
The Lusitania Museum & Old Head Signal Tower will host an exciting and varied schedule of events for National Heritage Week. All events are Free to attend, although contacting the museum by email (info@oldheadofkinsale.com) to reserve a space is recommended.
On Saturday 16th August there will be a Re-enactment of the Old Head Coastguard Rocket training exercise, consisting of a walk from the Speckled Door to the Old Head Signal Tower led by a vintage tractor the restored Old Head Rocket and members of the Coastguard. Meeting at the Speckled Door from 11am, all welcome;
On Monday 18th August Historian Nial Stewart will deliver a lecture titled ‘Medieval Kinsale’ at 7pm; On Tuesday 19th Historian Jerome Lordan will give a presentation on a local fishing tragedy – ‘A Dark Day at Black Head: The Fishing Tragedy of 1877’ at 7pm;
On Wednesday 20th August a Lusitania Movie Night will take place at St Catherine’s Cultural Centre, Kinsale. Doors open at 6:30pm and the film, ‘The Sinking of the Lusitania: Terror at Sea’ will begin at 7pm; On Thursday 21st August Shannon Forde will deliver a presentation on the Old Head Signal Tower project, exploring how a ruinous tower was transformed into a thriving heritage attraction by a local community project. The event will take place at Kinsale Library from 7pm, with books of the museums new book ‘The Story So Far: 10 Years of the Old head Signal Tower & Lusitania Museum’ available on the evening. Full details on all events can be found on Lusitania Museum & Old Head Signal Tower social media channels or oldheadofkinsale.com.