NATIONAL MUSEUM OF IRELAND - COUNTRY LIFE
TURLOUGH PARK, CASTLEBAR, CO. MAYO
PUBLIC PROGRAMME  29 May - 15 June 2013

FREE WIFI is now available in the Museum Café.
Museum grounds: Did you know our Museum grounds are open until 8.00pm (Tues-Sun). Why not stay for a stroll after visiting the Museum?
Contents:
* Book Now * Programme of events * School's Programme & Competition Winners

* Temporary Exhibitions * Museum Shop & Café * On-line Resources * Other Details

01. BOOK NOW!
Wednesday 29 May: 3-4.30pm. Talk and Tour. Headhunters: The Search for the Irish Race Adults 16yrs +.
Join Ciarán Walsh, Dáithí de Mórdha and Dr. Séamas Mac Philib for a discussion on the exhibition of early photos from Charles R. Browne, taken along the west coast of Ireland in the 1890's. This talk will include an insight into the context of racism at the time. Booking required. Tel: 094 903 1751; educationtph@museum.ie

Saturday 08 June: 3-4pm. Talk. Placenames Old and New. Adults.
Placenames are an important archive that give us an overall insight into the history of an area. Don't miss this talk by Dr. Fiachra Mac Gabhann if you have questions about the name of your locality. Booking required. Tel: 094 903 1751; educationtph@museum.ie

02. PROGRAMME OF EVENTS
Visit www.ouririshheritage.org to find out about local Irish history & heritage and to contribute photos and stories about your locality.


Wednesday 29th May: 3-4.30pm. Talk and Tour. Headhunters: The Search for the Irish Race Adults 16yrs +.
See details above.

Saturday 01 June: 3-5.00pm. Drop-in Activity. Re-awaken the Musician within You! Adults.
Tune up, tune in and join the music circle to practice, share and play tunes and songs. No booking required.

Friday 07 June: 11am-1pm. Drop-in Activity. Come Knit with Me! Knitting Circle. Adults and children 7yrs+.
Enthusiasts and beginners alike are welcome to join the museum knitters as they share skills, patterns and chat. Make knitted flowers for the summer months. No booking required.

Saturday 08 June: 11am-1pm. Drop-in Activity. Mayo Genealogy Group Adults.
If you have an interest in finding out about your family history come along for free practical tips with the Mayo Genealogy Group. No booking required. New researchers welcome.

Saturday 08 June: 3-4pm. Talk. Placenames Old and New. Adults.
See details above.

Saturday 15 June: 2-4pm. Drop-In activity. Homemade Father's Day Cards! Family.
Make a special card, use a variety of materials and techniques to give it your own personal touch. Drop-in. No booking required.

Running until September 2013: Scoodoo Trail & competition: Museum grounds. Family event.
The Scoodoo Trail is a great family activity and features 18 Scoodoo sculptures placed around the Museum grounds. Scoodoos are sculptures made from the branches and twigs of trees representing ancient woodland spirits. This is a perfect setting for Scoodoos, where many fine mature trees grow. Visitors can pick up a leaflet with map from the Museum Galleries and find the Scoodoos. As visitors walk around the grounds they can read information about the trees where the Scoodoos appear. Competition: Why not try and identify all 18 Scoodoos in the grounds and you could win your own Scoodoo sculpture. Entry forms can be downloaded from here.

02. SCHOOLS' PROGRAMME 2013 & COMPETITION WINNERS

Visit http://www.museum.ie/en/list/nmi-schools-programmes.aspx for details of our programmes for 2013 for primary & post-primary students.

Fashion Flashback Post-Primary Competition
This year we challenged schools to design and make a fashion piece inspired by the theme of the museum - ‘Life in Rural Ireland'.
We are delighted to announce the winning entries 1st - 3rd Prize:

1st Prize:
Designers: Aoife Halligan and Niamh Neyret, 2nd years students. Davitt College, Springfield, Castlebar, Co. Mayo. Art Teacher: Ciara Silke.

2nd Prize
Designers: 2nd year Art students. Rachel Gaughan, Chloe O'Brien, Amanda Conroy, Lauren Mullaney, Chloe Durkan and Rosemary Dunne.
These students were awarded joint second prize for their group entry.
School: Balla Secondary School, Balla, Co. Mayo. Art Teacher: Lisa McSherry.

3rd Prize
Designer: Neasa Egan, first year student. School: Our Lady's Bower, Retreat Road, Athlone, Co. Westmeath. Art Teacher: Ciara Henriques.
The winning entry, a modern dress from a traditional theme, was designed and made by Aoife Halligan and Niamh Neyret. Both girls are 2nd year students of Davitt College, Castlebar, Co. Mayo (art teacher Ciara Silke). The girls describe their inspiration for the work: 'For our dress we made braids out of greaseproof paper to symbolise the beautifully woven grass and straw that we saw on our visit to Turlough House. We were fascinated by the corset we saw in the Museum and this inspired the ribbon at the back of the dress'.
The first prize entry will be on display in the Activity Room, Level C in the Museum Galleries until 21st June 2013. The winning entries can be viewed on the museum's website. http://www.museum.ie/en/info/fashion-flashback-competition.aspx.
Also on Our Irish Heritage website: http://www.ouririshheritage.org/category_id__51.aspx

Well done to all the students who entered and a special thanks to the art teachers and their schools.

03. TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS
Exhibitions currently on display include:
· The Irish Headhunter. Searching for the Irish Race.

An exhibition of 63 early photos from the west coast of Ireland in the 1890s. Three plaster casts of real faces from the 1890s have been added into the Headhunter exhibition. They are drawn from a large collection which was displayed in the Natural History Museum many decades ago. This exhibition will run until June '13.

· 100 OBJECTS MUSEUM TRAIL

In a partnership between the National Museum of Ireland (NMI), the Irish Times and the Royal Irish Academy, 100 objects have been chosen by journalist Fintan O'Toole to take us through the history of people in Ireland over 7,000 years. 4 of these objects can be seen in the NMI-Country Life, Turlough Park.

· No. 81 EMPTY COOKING POT, 1845-9

· No. 82 EMIGRANT'S TEAPOT, 1850-1950.

· No. 93 BOYNE CORACLE, 1928

· No. 95 EMIGRANT'S SUITCASE, 1950s.

No. 66 CRUCIFIXION STONE, 1740 & No. 77 WICKER CRADLE, 19th & 20th Centuries are also from the NMI-Country Life's Folklife collection and are based in NMI-Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Dublin.

Further details can be found on:
http://www.museum.ie/en/list/history-of-ireland-in-100-objects.aspx and on http://www.100objects.ie/

Visit http://www.museum.ie/en/exhibition-list/country-life-temporary-exhibitions.aspx for details about temporary exhibitions which are ongoing in the Museum Galleries
Museum Café Exhibition:

Encounter by the Luisne Art Project
This exhibition of work features art produced during joint workshops between Luisne Art Project and The Carrowbeg Centre in Westport. The exhibition will run in the Museum Café until 20th June 2013. Luisne Art Project is a highly successful, nationally recognised arts programme for people with disabilities, based in the Ballinrobe area.

04. MUSEUM SHOP & CAFÉ
Museum Shop: the Museum Shop offers a broad range of affordable quality gifts for any occasion. Unique products to suit all budgets and requirements.
Museum Café: Visit the Museum Café for a wide variety of tasty and seasonal meals and snacks. Enjoy our freshly baked produce and speciality teas and coffees. The perfect complement to your museum visit. For queries and bookings contact the Museum Café: 094 928 9972; E-mail: maeve@brambles.ie
05. GENERAL INFORMATION
Visit http://www.museum.ie/en/list/calendar-of-events.aspx for details of the current programme of events.
Contact tpark@museum.ie if you would like to join the Museum's e-mail distribution list.

Follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Museum-of-Ireland/94907090068?ref=hl
and Twitter: https://twitter.com/NMIreland.

06. ON-LINE RESOURCES
Blog by the Museum's Documentation Department
The Documentation Department in the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life have launched a blog as a spin off from the Museum's Inventory Project - http://turloughparkhouse.wordpress.com/. Visit this blog to get some information on objects in the Museum's collection.
Website for local heritage
www.ouririshheritage.org features articles on local history and heritage from around the country. Anyone with an interest in their local area can contribute to this website which, it is hoped, will eventually reflect the local history of the island of Ireland. Groups and organisations are welcome to promote their cultural and heritage events via the online events form.
07. MUSEUM OPENING TIMES
Museum: Tuesday-Saturday: 10am - 5pm Sunday: 2-5pm. Closed Mondays (incl. Bank Holiday).
Museum Shop & Café: open during Museum hours with extended opening from 12pm each Sunday.
08. CONTACT DETAILS
GENERAL INFORMATION: Museum Reception: 094 903 1755
MUSEUM CAFÉ: 094 928 9972; e-mail: maeve@brambles.ie

How to find us: GPS Co-ordinates: 53.883986, -9.212476

Public Programmes & Temporary Exhibitions:
www.museum.ie/events: ongoing events & activities in the four sites of the National Museum of Ireland.
The Irish Headhunter. Searching for the Irish Race. An exhibition of 63 early photos from the west coast of Ireland in the 1890s. Running until May '13.