Kildare Bat Group is joint recipient of National Heritage Award

The Kildare Bat Group was one of the joint recipients of an award for National Heritage Week.

The Biodiversity Award was presented to BirdWatch Ireland which held a walk in the People's Park in Portlaoise in association with Kildare Bat Group, Laois Heritage Office and Irish Wildlife Trust Laois Offaly Branch.

The ‘Bats about Rooks’ event featured speakers such ornithologist Ricky Whelan, who discussed the rookery at the nearby Downs, the largest roost in Co Laois.

The walk continued along the Triogue River with information about bats from Anna Collins of Kildare Bat Group.

The awards are the culmination of National Heritage Week 2022, which involved more than 900 heritage and community groups working to ensure the preservation, protection, and promotion of Ireland’s built, natural and cultural heritage.

More than 1,800 events and projects took place around the country in August during National Heritage Week, as communities and individuals answered the Heritage Council’s invitation to explore this year’s themes of sustainable heritage and biodiversity.