5 minute read
National Museum Exhibition
Advertisement
6 IRISH WARS 1919 – 1923 Th e National Museum’s Excellent Exhibition
Th e refurbished Irish Wars 1919 – 1923 exhibition is currently on display at the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History in Collins Barracks.
The collection forms part of the permanent exhibition Soldiers and Chiefs. Yet, it has been substantially reimagined in conjunction with the museum’s Decade of Centenaries Commemorations. Visitors to the exhibition will see more than 50 newly displayed objects, new graphics and AV elements, as well as some new topics of discussion including civil disobedience, imprisonment, hunger strike, propaganda, women in warfare and the effects of the confl ict on civilian populations. The probing of these subject matters aims to increase public understanding of this complex period in Ireland’s history.
Items returning to display from the National Museum of Ireland’s reserve collection after 15 years include the death masks of Arthur Griffi th, Michael Collins, Cathal Brugha and Terence MacSwiney. The exhibition will also feature two key artefacts on loan from private family collections. One of these is an IRA Intelligence File which has been digitised and shown publicly for the fi rst time. The other is hair shorn from a woman in a ‘bobbing’ or ‘punishment shearing’, found in the possession of Michael Barry when he was arrested in 1920.
Other objects new to the exhibition include the note written by Arthur
Griffi th on the signing of the AngloIrish Treaty declaring ‘The end of the confl ict of centuries is at hand’; the RIC handcuffs worn by Seán Hogan when he was rescued by the Tipperary Brigade IRA at Knocklong in 1919; experimental weapons made by the IRA; items used in escapes from Lincoln, Mountjoy and Kilmainham prisons; and the propeller of the British aeroplane destroyed at Kilfi nane, Co. Tipperary in 1921.
The exhibition is supported by a wide range of multi-media. This includes contemporary newsreel fi lm provided by the Irish Film Institute. The footage features stop and searches, funerals, IRA captures and destruction from the period between 1919 and 1923.
Dr Maurice Manning, Chair of the Expert Advisory Group on Centenary Commemorations said of the exhibition in a statement: “There are many different perspectives and views as to how these
‘Pistol Hidden in Book’ Discover the fi ght for Ireland’s independence through both military action and civil disobedience
very complex events, and all whose lives were affected during this period, should be remembered. Throughout the Decade of Centenaries, as a people, we have shown great maturity and understanding in exploring our past, embracing its complexities and nuances in an inclusive and respectful manner.” “Our National Cultural Institutions have a very important role in this process as custodians of our history and culture. They create opportunities for people of all ages and traditions to explore and refl ect upon this divisive period in our history. The National Museum has delivered on this in this exhibition by presenting our history in that measured tone which is so essential.”
Catherine Heaney, Chair of the National Museum of Ireland, added: “As a National Cultural Institution, the museum’s role in the Decade of Centenaries is to explore important themes and elements of the centenaries through the objects and material heritage in our collection. In putting these objects on display, we intend to provide a contemplative and considered space for our visitors to remember and engage in conversation and to increase their understanding of our history.”
Also speaking about the exhibition,
‘Michael Collins’ Rosary’ The Irish Civil War divided former comrades on the future of the Irish State
Lynn Scarff, Director of the National Museum of Ireland, said: “This exhibition explores a very sensitive time in our history, one that we are all still learning about as a country and coming to terms with. We are particularly grateful to the donors who have generously loaned the National Museum of Ireland the IRA intelligence fi le and the shorn hair found in the possession of Michael Barry.”
Brenda Malone, Curator of the Irish Wars 1919 – 1923, added: “A distinct aspect of the reimagined exhibition is the focus on the personal stories of ordinary people, involved in atrocities and tragedies on both sides of the confl ict. In developing it, we had the opportunity to expand and develop traditionally underrepresented stories, like the role of women in the confl ict.” The Soldiers and Chiefs exhibition opened in 2006 to the acclaim of both
the public and the
museum sector. It has attracted in excess of 2 million visitors since opening and won the Irish Heritage Council and Northern Ireland Museums Council best exhibition award. It remains the largest single exhibition to be created in Ireland, featuring over a thousand objects displayed and interpreted over eight galleries, covering 1700m2 of space in both the old barracks dormitory block and a newer state-of-the-art two-storey build – the Military Annex.
Like all the museum’s exhibitions, entry to the Irish Wars 1919 – 1923 collection is free. For more information about it, see www.museum.ie/ Decorative-Arts-History/Exhibitions/ Current-Exhibitions/Irish-Wars-1919- %E2%80%93-1923. Meanwhile, visit www.museum.ie for details of the National Museum’s other ongoing events and activities.
