RCSI will run a series of historic public talks and tours of the main building at St Stephen's Green as part of National Heritage Week this August.

A lecture and two tours of the College will take place each day from 27-29 August completely free of charge to the public.

This follows on from the success of the 2013 Heritage Week activities at RCSI, where free public tours of the building on St Stephen's Green finished as a national runner-up in the ‘Best Interactive Event' category. This year, as well as the tours, on each of the three days, RCSI will host a lecture that highlight's different aspects of the College's illustrious heritage. The topics of these lectures, to be held in the Albert Lecture Theatre on each evening at 6pm, will be:

• ‘Beguiling and Brilliant: The Medics of RCSI’ by Meadhbh Murphy, Archivist at the RCSI Mercer Library – Wednesday, 27 August
• ‘The Role of Surgeons in World War I’ by Mr Joe Duignan, retired Consultant Surgeon and former member of the RCSI Council – Thursday, 28 August
• ‘Surgeons' Halls’ by Professor Clive Lee, Head of RCSI Department of Anatomy – Friday, 29 August

The historic tours of RCSI will be led by Head and Deputy Head Porters, Frank Donegan and Bryan Sheils, will last approximately one hour. During the tour attendees will learn the history of the College, the local area and the part it has played in Irish history including when the building was seized by rebels led by Michael Mallin and Constance Markievicz during the 1916 Easter Rising. All tours will commence daily at 11am and 4pm sharp.

The tour meeting point is at the front lobby of the York Street entrance to RCSI at 123 St Stephen's Green. Attendees are asked to meet at 10.45am and 3.45pm on each occasion. All activities free of charge to the public but registration is essential.

All three lectures and historic tours of RCSI are run in conjunction with National Heritage Week, an annual programme of over 1,500 events which take place during the last week of August each year. National Heritage Week 2014 is organised by the Heritage Council and will run from 23-31 August.