Heritage Week: Inside Barmeath Castle, Protecting Ireland’s Living Heritage
Posted 14/08/2026
From 15–23 August, National Heritage Week will celebrate some of Ireland’s most important historic buildings, gardens and estates, with this year’s theme, ‘Heritage at Risk’, highlighting the places, traditions and skills that are vulnerable and the importance of protecting them for future generations.
Barmeath Castle in County Louth is one of the historic properties welcoming visitors during Heritage Week. The Bellew family has called it home since the 1670s.
Starting from 16 August through to 21 August, visitors will have the opportunity to explore the castle and its ten acres of parkland through guided tours, including its historic interiors and gardens originally designed by renowned eighteenth-century landscape designer Thomas Wright.
Barmeath has been part of the same family’s story for over three centuries. It offers a fascinating look at what it takes to care for a historic property across generations.
Historic houses such as Barmeath Castle are more than architectural landmarks, but living properties, often still used as family homes, where generations of history can exist alongside the practical realities of maintaining an old building.
Protected structures and period houses can contain historic fabric, specialist materials, original architectural features and valuable contents that require a very different approach to maintenance and protection than a modern property.
Flooding, severe weather, damp, fire and other unforeseen events can have significant consequences for buildings that may contain irreplaceable historic features. At the same time, specialist conservation skills and traditional building knowledge are becoming increasingly important to the future of Ireland's built heritage.
Protecting what cannot simply be replaced
The theme of Heritage Week 2026 is a timely reminder that protecting heritage is not only about celebrating historic properties. It is about understanding what is required to keep them standing.
For owners of period houses and protected structures, that can mean taking a wider view of protection, considering not only the building itself but also its historic interiors, antiques, artwork, gardens and other important contents.
We understand that Ireland's historic homes require specialist consideration. Our insurance is designed specifically for period houses and protected structures, recognising the particular risks and requirements associated with properties that form part of Ireland's architectural heritage.
Barmeath Castle's Heritage Week opening provides an opportunity to experience a remarkable piece of Ireland's history first-hand. But perhaps more importantly, it highlights the ongoing responsibility behind preserving these places.
Because heritage is not simply something we inherit. It is something we have to protect.
Explore Barmeath Castle and other National Heritage Week events
