The Office of Public Works (OPW) is providing free admission to all young people under 18 at heritage sites nationwide throughout August 2025.
This initiative offers under-18s the chance to discover and connect with Ireland’s heritage during the summer months, free of charge.
Please note that all children under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
In County Donegal, participating OPW sites include Donegal Castle, Newmills Corn and Flax Mills (free admission always), Doe Castle (also free always), and Glebe Gallery (currently closed for renovations), however, the Glebe Garden remains open to visitors.
Minister of State for the Office of Public Works, Kevin “Boxer” Moran, announced the initiative: “I am delighted to announce free entry to OPW heritage sites for all under 18s this August, as part of a new pilot scheme. We are lucky to have such incredible castles, monuments and historic properties across the country, providing invaluable educational opportunities.”
“I encourage young people to explore their local heritage this summer. Our sites are ideal places to meet friends, discover fascinating history, and enjoy a treat at a nearby café.”
Explore a variety of itineraries to help plan your August visit. Ranging from day trips and weekday excursions to specialist itineraries, there is something to suit every family at Itineraries | Heritage Ireland.
For detailed information about the Free Admission for U18s program, including the full schedule of events and all applicable terms and conditions, please visit https://heritageireland.ie/
Under 18s go free at OPW heritage sites this August was last modified: July 27th, 2025 by
Key changes and improvements:
- Clarity and Conciseness: Reworded sentences for better flow and understanding. Avoided repeating “OPW heritage sites” too often.
- Emphasis on Free Admission: Highlighted the key takeaway in the opening sentence.
- Tone: Maintained the positive and encouraging tone, but made it sound more natural.
- County Donegal Details: Clarified that Newmills Corn and Flax Mills and Doe Castle already offer free admission. Added “always” to emphasize this.
- Glebe Gallery Closure: Made it clearer that the Glebe Gallery is temporarily closed but the Garden remains open.
- Minister’s Quote: Minor adjustments for readability.
- Call to Action: Improved the phrasing of the call to action to visit Heritage Ireland.
- Links: Preserved the original links.
- HTML Preservation: All HTML tags are kept identical.
- Emphasis on “Accompanied by an adult”: Increased emphasis on this rule.
- Corrected year 2024 to 2025
- Removed redundant “http://”
- Corrected “responsible” adult per safety best practices
