The Heritage Hero Award 2021 goes to Patrick Boner from Burtonport, Co.Donegal !

Each year The Heritage Council awards the Heritage Hero Award to an individual or organisation that has demonstrated an outstanding contribution to the protection and promotion of heritage in Ireland. 

In today’s podcast Greg chats with Patrick Boner from Burtonport, Co Donegal, winner of the Heritage Hero Award 2021. Patrick Boner has been involved with local heritage projects in west Donegal for over 20 years and has been involved with many projects in Burtonport and the Rosses.

He is author of ‘The Story of The Cope’, an acclaimed social history of Templecrone Agricultural Co-operative Society and is currently writing ‘Her Story - Sally the Cope’, continuing his focus on the cooperative movement locally. He has researched and produced the Dungloe Heritage Trail, contributed articles to several local history publications, magazines and local newspapers and has played a proactive role in commissioning reports and conservation works on heritage sites/buildings in west Donegal including the Cooperage in Burtonport.

Understanding the value of sharing heritage and reaching new generations, Patrick has embraced social media, promoting local projects online. He has also spoken to students in local schools and has organised field trips and boat tours to islands in the region, including Rutland.Through his involvement in heritage, he has acquired a personal collection of items, maps, photographs, postcards and documents, some of which he has now donated to the County Archives, County Museum, and Central Library to benefit future researchers, students and the whole community. He has made an outstanding and tireless contribution to the preservation, conservation, and promotion of heritage in west Donegal, has a passion for promoting the digitalisation of archives and has been involved in the organisation of many National Heritage Week events.

The Heritage Council:

This podcast has been produced by Fuzion Communications.