For hi-res images of the Little Museum, click here
PRESS RELEASE
October 21, 2011: Dublin is about to get a museum of its own. This evening a new museum of the city will be formally opened by the Lord Mayor, Councillor Andrew Montague. “This is a very exciting day for Dublin,” says Trevor White, the director of the museum. “All great cities have a museum that documents their history, and now – at last – Dublin is no exception.”
This new non-profit museum is housed on the first floor of a Georgian townhouse at 15 St Stephen’s Green. Over 400 Dubliners have donated artefacts for the collection, which chronicles the social, cultural and political history of the capital in the 20th Century.
Among the highlights of the collection are the lectern that JFK used to address the Oireachtas in 1963; the first English edition of Ulysses; the original Wanderly Wagon that was used for the flying scenes in the famous TV programme; James Joyce’s death mask; the menu from Jammet’s restaurant; and a postcard from George Bernard Shaw.
Some of the artefacts have a nostalgic appeal (‘I saw Santa at Switzers’) while others relate to famous visitors such as Marlene Dietrich and Muhammad Ali. “We hope the collection will appeal to Dubliners as well as tourists,” says the curator of the museum, Simon O’Connor.
With a decade of major centenaries upon us, this new community museum will host many public debates, as well as regular lectures and an outreach and education programme. Finally, the museum will also serve as the headquarters for City of a Thousand Welcomes, a remarkable project to boost tourism and civic pride.
For hi-res images of the Little Museum, click here
Our curator Simon was a guest on Diarmaid Ferriter’s History Show on Radio One with Pat Cooke and Catriona Crowe Sunday 25th September 2011. The programme is available here
