Mary Kenny’s Irish dancing costume 1990s

Mary wore this embroidered orange velvet Irish dancing costume in the 1990s, when she was nine years old and dancing with the Hogan School of Dance, Dublin. McAllister Collection. Donated to the Museum of Childhood Ireland in 2023

Published
Categorized as Clothing

Rose Doyle’s toys & clothing

Family Rose’s family lived on the Ennis Road in Limerick City from 1957 to 2023, in the same semi-detached house with gardens back and front. Rose was born in 1959 and she was a bit older than the next two siblings and more than a decade older than the youngest. She was careful with her… Continue reading Rose Doyle’s toys & clothing

Published
Categorized as Toys

Triang pushchair

Triang toy pushchair manufactured in Belfast and played with by Máire-Ann Doyle, Mt Merrion, Dublin in the 1960s. Even with years of play the original label is still attached.  Lines Brothers, PedigreeWorks, Castlereagh  Watch beautiful Triang footage here, directed by Gael Linn 1963: Toys, Buy Now for Christmas – Amharc Éireann: Eagrán 201 Find more… Continue reading Triang pushchair

Published
Categorized as Toys

Carole Cullen & Muffin the Mule

“Muffin the Mule is a marionette beloved in my childhood. I grew up in rural North Cornwall in a old house which creaked with age and charm. My family consisted of my father who worked in adult education, my mother who taught elocution and piano, my granny who cooked and loved us, and my sister… Continue reading Carole Cullen & Muffin the Mule

Published
Categorized as Toys

About this Section

Here you will find a selection of free content especially for children, with recreational, educational, historical and cultural resources for parents/guardians/ teachers to copy, download or use as inspiration! The Children’s page is a work in progress, so please bear with us as our Education team load content/resources suitable for pre-school age/primary and secondary school… Continue reading About this Section

Primary School Outreach

History of Toys. Museum of Childhood Ireland worked with a Dublin Primary school on a curriculum history strand: Learning from the past by examining toys that children played with. Teacher overview:

On the 40th anniversary of the ban on corporal punishment…

Ireland’s legacy of physical abuse in religious run schools Many Irish children had secure, happy school experiences. However a proportion of children who went to religious run schools experienced physical and emotional abuse.  I was a 12-year-old student when a punch from the clerical Headmaster at one of Ireland’s oldest Catholic secondary schools permanently damaged… Continue reading On the 40th anniversary of the ban on corporal punishment…

Published
Categorized as Education