Manchester, England, 1960s M Ann McNulty went for walks daily to the local park in Fallowfield, Manchester with her beloved grandfather from Tipperary, Michael Barry. Her family were Irish and lived on Egerton Rd, in Fallowfield. Her near neighbours were another Irish family, the Aherns. Their little girl Caroline was one of her and her… Continue reading Ann’s ‘Bread for the Birds’ basket
Category: Ephemera
David Finnegan’s Letter to Santa, Dublin 1970
A letter to Santa from David Finnegan, The Rosary, 69 Palmerstown, Co Dublin in the 1970s. David doesn’t forget to mention his siblings Mary, Patricia, and John.
Walter and Louisa Reid’s Letters at Christmas
Letters addressed to Mrs Reid, 53 York Road, Kingstown ( Dún Laoghaire) in 1872 and 1875 from her son and daughter, Walter and Louisa Reid. The envelope of treasured keepsakes also included and a calendar from 1877. Donated to Museum of Childhood Ireland by K Fahey. Museum of Childhood Ireland Collection, reference number: EC02. Date,… Continue reading Walter and Louisa Reid’s Letters at Christmas
Letter From A Witch
Speaking of witches!“I received this letter from a witch* 46 years ago, when I was aged 5 and scared of witches, this one in particular. She went to a lot of effort to ease my fears, though I’m still not sure I’d trust someone who uses green ink to invite someone to meet them for… Continue reading Letter From A Witch
Rebecca’s Bus Ticket
Rebecca Cassidy, known as Rea My name is Rebecca. I was born in 1936. I lived in a small village in Co.Kildare, about 10 miles from Dublin city. There was a bus to Dublin every hour, with a few more in the mornings and evenings for people who worked in the city. I was the… Continue reading Rebecca’s Bus Ticket
The Charlotte Raftery Collection.
The Charlotte Raftery Collection, donated to the Museum of Childhood, Ireland, in March 2020, comprises items of children’s clothing, dolls, doll house furniture, miniatures, and childhood ephemera. Research on Charlotte and on her collection is ongoing, with public displays of items from the collection throughout 2022 planned. For a history of childhood clothing in Ireland… Continue reading The Charlotte Raftery Collection.
Covid-19
MCI commissioned these uniquely hand-crafted hanging decorations from Elizabeth McFadden, Buncranna, Co Donegal. Spotted on her Facebook page during 2020, they are now in the museum’s collection. COVID-19 in Ireland and the impact of the pandemic on Children Initial Pandemic Response in Ireland Ireland implemented its first major COVID-19 restrictions on March 12, 2020, when… Continue reading Covid-19
Sewing & Knitting Patterns
The Simplicity Pattern Company were manufacturers of sewing pattern guides, under the “Simplicity Pattern”, “It’s So Easy” and “New Look” brands. The company was founded in New York in 1927 during the Great Depression. Simplicity allowed home seamstresses to create fashionable clothing in a reliable manner and at low cost. The patterns were manufactured in… Continue reading Sewing & Knitting Patterns
Infant Formula and baby feeding bottle
From the museum’s collection, Cow and Gate advertisement sign, baby formula milk tin and ‘Grip-tight’ glass baby feeding bottle Cow and Gate was the most popular dried powder milk for infants used in 20th century Ireland. The manufacturers established factories in Cork and Wexford. the Gates brothers, from Surrey, England established a creamery in Kildorrery… Continue reading Infant Formula and baby feeding bottle