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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

The Museum of Childhood Ireland

Músaem Óige na hÉireann. Established 2018. An historic, groundbreaking 1st for Ireland. Award winning Islandwide - Diaspora, Historic - Contemporary museum of children & childhood. Children are Seen and Heard. Charity number: 20205452.

The Museum of Childhood Ireland

3 weeks ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Last chance to see film/TV inspired toys children received as Christmas gifts in the 60/70s/80s display at #boi #dúnlaoghaire 🤠 🦈 🚀 🎬📺🎞️👉 museumofchildhood.ie/film-tv-toys/ #sixmliondollarman #loneranger #TheLoneRanger #dunlaoghaire #jaws #Starcom #starwars #Christmas #childrens #presents #gifts #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

3 weeks ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
A happy new year to all! Bliain nua faoi mhaise dhaoibh! From all the volunteers at Museum of Childhood Ireland, Músaem Oige na hÉireann. Here’s to a great 2025!Every family has their own tradition ( and makes new traditions) for New Year’s Eve, but see below for some recorded in Kerry, Monaghan, and Louth for the Schools’ Collections @duchas.ie www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5008889/4963983/5079237www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4706346/4704680/4780008www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4723843/4718004/4930968?Route=storiesAnd from Nev Swift: thefadingyear.wordpress.com/2021/12/31/irish-new-years-day-traditions-beliefs/For this year see: www.independent.ie/irish-news/new-years-festival-dublin-2024-everything-you-need-to-know/a1480444...Come, children, gather round my knee;Something is about to be.Tonight’s December thirty-first,Something is about to burst.The clock is crouching, dark and small,Like a time bomb in the hall.Hark! It’s midnight, children dear.Duck! Here comes another year.Ogden Nashwww.poetryfoundation.org/poets/ogden-nash#Ireland #MuseumOfChildhoodIreland #MúsaemÓigeNahÉireann #OgdenNash #Poetry #Celebration #children #childhood #NewYear #Volunteers ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

4 weeks ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Happy Christmas,Nollaig Shona from all the team at Museum of Childhood Ireland, Músaem Óige na hÉireannChildren’s Christmas letters to their mother. Walter and Louisa Reid, Kingstown (Dúnlaoghaire) #ireland #1870s in the museum’s collections 🎄https://museumofchildhood.ie/walter-and-louisa-reids-letters-at-christmas/#dúnlaoghaire #dunlaoghaire #christmas #childrens #letters #post ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

1 month ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
From Michael Farry on reading in primary school with a special mention of the Famous Five, Enid Blyton series…Books were scarce in rural Sligo in the 1950s and early 1960s when I attended our small village two-teacher school. There was plenty of other reading material of course. I read the daily newspaper, the Irish Independent and The Sunday Press. My mother got Woman’s Weekly and I read parts of it, the Robin Family story of course, but also Mary Marryat Advises, which was fascinating but often incomprehensible to a pre-teen. My grandfather bought us weekly comics, the Beano and Knockout, which we devoured. So we were readers from an early age thanks to parents and grandparents.At school our English textbooks were series such as New Prospect, On Wings of Words, Fact and Fancy and these were full of wonder, of poems and stories from some of the great writers. We encountered Wordsworth, Yeats, Eva Gore Booth, Dickens, Longfellow, Colum and many more in their pages. When I got my new text books in June I immediately read the lot. I can still remember lines from poems they contained, Shelley in fifth class:O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn’s being,Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves deadAre driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing,Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red.We also had a small school library which was supplied by the County Library serviceand this was magic. I don’t know how often the books were changed but when they were I rushed up when allowed to see what wonders were available. I remember the great Sligo County Librarian, Nora Niland herself, bringing the new books to our school at least once. She noticed that we had been reading The Little Waves of Breffni by Eva Gore-Booth and she chatted to us about that poem and its author. Nora Niland, of course, began the art collection, including many Jack B Yeats works, which is now such a treasure in Sligo.It was in that school library that I discovered the Famous Five. I think the first one I read was Five Go to Billycock Hill, which was first published in 1957. I was immediately captivated. What did I find so enthralling? This was a book aimed at a reader like me. There was no obvious moral, though the good always came out on top; the children were always right, the adults less trustworthy. Uncle Quentin was grumpy as some adults I knew. The settings were familiar, Dorset didn’t seem all that different from the rolling hills and wandering streams of south Sligo. True, we didn’t have a castle with gold ingots in the dungeons but it was easy to imagine that such could be over the next hill. While our parents would never have allowed us to go off in a caravan for a week we did have a lot of freedom to wander around the local area especially during those summer holidays. The illustrations by Eileen Soper seemed to complement the text so well.At each library change I looked to see which new Famous Five book has come and ifthere was none I had to make do with a Robert Louis Stephenson, a Jennings and Darbyshire or a Bobbsey Twins book. I moved beyond Enid Blyton of course but still regard those books with great respect and affection. Now, among my poetry volumes, my Evelyn Waugh Penguin paperbacks, and all my other books are the twenty one Hodder & Stoughton hardback editions, complete with dust jackets, of the Famous Five series as I remember them.Read Michael’s story in full here:museumofchildhood.ie/michael-farry-on-reading-in-childhood/#reading #books #children #childhood #Sligo #FamousFive #enidblyton #enidblytonbooks #EvaGoreBooth #NoraNiland #shelley #comics #irishindependent #thesundaypress #womansweekly #literature #músaemóigenahéireann #childrensliterature #museumofchildhoodireland Michael Farry Sligo Heritage Sligo County Library The Heritage Council Irish Museums Association ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

1 month ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
“The early morning walks to school that I experienced in the late 1970s have never really receded into the past, as they are revived every time I connect with any part of the Metals, the lanes that run parallel to the railway lines from Dalkey to Dun Laoghaire.As we lived near Sallynoggin, at the top of the hill, and went to school in Glasthule, then the logical route to take to school was to walk along the Metals. This brought us out at the bridge near Padraic Colum’s house – only a stone’s throw from Harold Boys school. On our walks, as we gazed over the leafy banks and down onto the tracks my father would explain that the railway lines had originally transported rock from Dalkey quarry down to Dun Laoghaire seafront for the construction of the Pier. To our impressionable minds this was a revelation that transformed the familiar views of the quarry and Dun Laoghaire seafront, both visible from the bottom of our road.Now, whenever I catch a glimpse of that familiar silhouette of the abandoned house at the top of the quarry, through the mist, or through the traffic on the Glenageary roundabout, it still quietly recalls my father’s voice expanding our minds with a little gem of information.”Alan Lambert. Read Alan’s story and others in the series here: 👉 museumofchildhood.ie/when-we-were-kings-and-queens-of-the-road-alan-lambert/#alanlambert #WhenWeWereKingsAndQueens #músaemóigenahéireann #museumofchildhoodireland #JourneyToSchool #walktoschool #dúnlaoghaire #themetals #sallynoggin #glasthule #walking #childhood #children #child #dalkey #railway #adolescence Alan Lambert Chloe Browne Dún Laoghaire Town DLR Tourism dlr Heritage Events DLR PPN Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Public Participation Network Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media The Heritage Council Irish Museums Association Sandycove and Glasthule Residents Association Dun Laoghaire Past & Present My Dun Laoghaire Memories Dun Laoghaire Memories with Other Wonderful Places.... ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

1 month ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
A wonderful, joyous celebration day from the Museum of Childhood Ireland, with puppetry from Julie-Rose McCormick at Bloomfields Shopping Centre, Dúnlaoghaire last Friday. The absolutely fantastic children from Dominican NS decorated the Christmas tree in a series of workshops leading up to the day, using recycled and reusable materials. Their chosen theme was Peace and we think their work is incredible. With thanks to Faber-Castell for art supplies. #childhood #museum #puppetry #celebrations #Christmas #JOY #peace #museumofchildhoodireland #Christmas #christmas2024 #músaemóigenahéireann #dúnlaoghaire #dunlaoghaire #arts #culture #heritage #child #children ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

1 month ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Our last children’s art/craft/create/imagine/play workshop of 2024 at SICCDA/RE CDP ( now Liberties Community Project ) was on Saturday 7th of December, and it was a magical ✨ and busy day of creating. We were delighted to see so many attend!Art, cards, decorations and gifts of a seasonal flavour were made, inspired by cards, letters and homemade gifts in the Museum of Childhood Ireland’s collections.Art supplies were generously sponsored by Faber-Castell 🧑‍🎨🎨🖌️ ✍️ 🖼️After all the making and doing we had a party and gift raffle for every child 🎁 🥳🎉Thanks to the all-volunteer museum team for their time and dedication to providing free culture, heritage, arts, play and education experiences for all children. We also began a toy, art materials and book lending library for the children. If you can help in any way please let us know at info@museumofchildhood.ie As always your support is very welcome: museumofchildhood.ie/support-us/2024 was an incredible year and we are looking forward to an equally inspiring 2025! 👉 museumofchildhood.ie/tir-na-nog-tir-na-hoige-mocis-childrens-art-craft-create-workshops/The Liberties Community Project #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #Dublin #Liberties #children #art #craft #create #imagine #play #Culture #Heritage #Arts #Education #FaberCastell ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

1 month ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Rediscovering Timeless Tales: The Enduring Magic of Joan Aiken, Mollie Hunter, and Violet NeedhamIntroduction: An Invitation to Revisit Forgotten Classics“I often return to books from my childhood—the kind of stories that offered wonder, excitement, and a hint of danger. It’s like reconnecting with an old friend: comforting, familiar, but always full of surprises. Recently, I reflected on three authors who shaped those magical reading years yet often remain tucked away on the dusty shelves of libraries: Joan Aiken, Mollie Hunter, and Violet Needham.These works transported me to alternate histories, enchanted Scottish landscapes, and imaginary kingdoms where courage, adventure, and imagination reigned supreme. Revisiting these tales, I felt nostalgia and awe at their depth and enduring relevance.Joan Aiken: Subverting Heroes and Rewriting HistoryJoan Aiken’s The Wolves of Willoughby Chase was my first introduction to alternative history—a world almost like ours, but with wolves prowling the countryside and James III on the throne. The thrill of this imagined 19th-century England stayed with me long after I turned the final page.What captivated me most wasn’t the wolves or conspiracies—it was Dido Twite, the unlikeliest of heroines. Scruffy, sharp-tongued, and utterly fearless, Dido challenged my every expectation of a traditional protagonist. In Black Hearts in Battersea and Nightbirds on Nantucket, Dido doesn’t wait to be rescued; she rescues herself, outwits villains, and takes charge of her story.Aiken doesn’t just tell adventurous tales—she reshapes history and redefines heroism. Through Dido, she taught me that courage doesn’t have to look pretty, and that adventure is for anyone bold enough to seize it.Mollie Hunter: Scotland’s Stories of Magic and MythIf Aiken’s tales reimagined history, Mollie Hunter’s stories opened the door to the Otherworld—a magical and menacing place. A Stranger Came Ashore remains one of my favourites, steeped in the legend of the selkie, a mythical shapeshifter from Scottish folklore. Hunter’s writing is immersive, making you feel the salt spray of the sea and the chill of something lurking beneath the waves.Then there’s The Stronghold—a tale of resilience and ingenuity. Set during the Roman invasion of Scotland, it tells of a boy’s determination to build the first stone fort, a symbol of strength and defiance. Hunter brings history to life through myth, showing how even the smallest acts of creation can change the course of a story.Hunter’s works honour folklore traditions and storytelling, reminding readers that myth is more than escapism—it’s a mirror reflecting human strength, fears, and hopes.Violet Needham: Courage in Imaginary KingdomsFor years, Violet Needham was a name I had only heard in passing. It wasn’t until I read The Black Riders—a favouriteof my mother’s—that I finally understood why her books deserve a place on every reader’s shelf.In The Black Riders, we meet Dick, an orphan who is drawn into a dangerous political uprising in an unnamed European empire. As the Slightly Foxed review beautifully describes, Dick’s story is about more than political intrigue—it’s about loyalty, fortitude, and the quiet bravery of a child who refuses to give up.Needham writes with urgency and adventure, whisking readers away to Ruritanian kingdoms filled with conspiracies and challenges. Her heroes are not kings or knights but young outsiders; proving courage comes from determination rather than privilege.While the book may feel dated, with its moral clarity and hints of caricature, it remains deeply engaging. It’s a story that reminds us of simpler times—when adventure lay just beyond the next hill, and the line between right and wrong, though blurry, was worth exploring.Why These Stories Still Matter?What connects Aiken, Hunter, and Needham is their shared belief in the power of storytelling to challenge, comfort, and inspire. Their works:• Celebrate courage: Heroes like Dido Twite and Dick remind us that bravery isn’t about perfection but perseverance.• Bridge history and myth: Whether through alternate England, Celtic legends, or imagined kingdoms, these authors invite us to see the world with new eyes.• Resonate across generations: Though rooted in a different time, their stories still speak to universal truths—loyalty, resilience, and imagination.When revisiting these classics, I was struck by how relevant they still feel. These books aren’t just relics of the past—they’re treasure chests waiting to be opened, filled with timeless lessons and adventures.Conclusion: An Invitation to RediscoverConsider this your invitation. If you’ve never read The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, The Stronghold, or The Black Riders, and if you, like I once did, read these books and set them aside, now is the perfect time to return.These stories remind us that the best adventures are the ones that stay with us long after the last page is turned. Aiken, Hunter, and Needham created worlds filled with courage, resilience, and magic—worlds that still have so much to offer if only we step inside again.Because the best stories don’t just live on shelves—they live in us.”Dr Supriya Baijal, from the Museum of Childhood Ireland, Músaem Óige na hÉireann’s Literature Team, explores some of her favourite books in the museum’s collection. 📖❤️ museumofchildhood.ie/rediscover-timeless-tales/#joanaiken #molliehunter #violetneedham #books #literature #reading #childrensbooks #childrensliterature #children #childhood #storiesthatmatter #magicofstories #books #bookshelf #bookstagram #Rediscovery #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

1 month ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
15 year old Robert Henri’s diary deciphered! 🧑‍🎨🎨🖌️🖼️“It is a code that hasn’t been deciphered since Henri wrote it as a 15 year old in 1880! I really enjoyed solving it.” Jessica Sharkey, Museum of Childhood Ireland, Músaem Óige na hÉireann team member, PhD candidate at Trinity College Dublin and Visiting Curator at the Robert Henri Museum and Art Gallery 2024👉 museumofchildhood.ie/15-year-old-henris-diary/#roberthenri #art #artist #arthistory #children #childhood #diary #code #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #decipher #Nebraska Robert Henri Museum and Art Gallery ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

2 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
The Museum of Childhood Ireland, Músaem Óige na hÉireann’s ‘The Children of Achill & Robert Henri Project & History Festival’ in 2023, inspired Jessica Robinson Sharkey ‘s exhibition in the artist’s boyhood home in Cozad, Nebraska: museumofchildhood.ie/achill-nebraska-museum-of-childhood-ireland/#roberthenri #children #achillisland #Mayo #Cozad #Nebraska #músaemóigenahéireann #museumofchildhoodireland #art #arthistory #history #culture #heritage #museum #museums #childhood Mayo.ie Robert Henri Museum and Art Gallery Irish Museums Association The Heritage Council Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

2 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
The Museum of Childhood Ireland, Músaem Óige na hÉireann and Sticky Fingers Arts have been selected as a County Winner in the National Heritage Week Awards for the Museum’s events as part of this week. This award was for our series of Wild Child and Water Heritage Day events in collaboration with our friends at Sticky Fingers Arts. Thank you to The Heritage Council for the recognition. To read more about our award-winning events, click here: museumofchildhood.ie/wild-child-water-heritage-day/The recently held Heritage Council's National Heritage Week Awards celebrated a selection of engaging projects and events organised as part of the annual National Heritage Week. Sticky Fingers Arts and all of us at the Museum were thrilled to be recognised alongside other fantastic winners who have contributed to highlighting our heritage and helped to encourage future generations to be custodians of our heritage. The awards took place in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham Dublin and were hosted by Síle Seoige.#IrishHeritage #CelebrateourHistory #HeritageCouncil #HeritageCouncilAwards #NationalHeritageWeekAwards #SeachtainNáisiúntanahOidhreachta ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

2 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
This letter to Santa was written in 1911, and hidden in the chimney of a house in Terenure in Dublin. The letter was discovered in 1992 by the house owner when he was installing central heating. It reads "I want a baby doll and a waterproof with a hood and a pair of gloves and a toffee apple and a gold penny and a silver sixpence and a long toffee." ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

2 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Join the Museum of Childhood Ireland, Músaem Óige na hÉireann, at Bloomfields Shopping Centre on December 13th for a festive seasonal celebration with McCormick’s Puppets. Performances will be at 1:00, 2:30, and 3:30 pm!‘Christmas Punch’ ShowSanta has arrived, but where is Rudolph the Reindeer? And what is that Crocodile up to? Come find out in this delightful puppet show!Plus, meet Cheeky Monkey and snap a photo with him!We’ll also have a 📮special postbox for your letters and drawings for Santa/Daidí na Nollag! ✉️✍️🖼️No booking needed – spaces are on a first-come, first-served basis. Free Admission – Go hiomlán saor in aisce!Wishing you all a joyful Christmas from all the team at the Museum of Childhood Ireland, Músaem Óige na hÉireann and Bloomfields Shopping Centre, Dún Laoghaire!Beannachtaí na Nollag oraibh! 🎄Bloomfields Shopping Centre Irish UNIMA-Puppetry Ireland #Christmas #músaemóigenahéireann #museumofchildhoodireland #puppets #Bloomfields museumofchildhood.ie/support-us/ ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

2 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Rose’s Red ‘Booboo’ Car. Rose Doyle’s father made this wagon in the 1960s. It’s not a toddler walker, rather, he meant it as a robust alternative to the dolls’ pram, to be pushed or pulled by an older child in the garden containing whatever they happened to be playing with.This often seemed to be teddy bears, because for some reason teddies were never put in the dolls’ pram. Boo-Boo Bear was Yogi Bear’s* sidekick and there was a big teddy bear in the household called Big Booby; the link with teddies might be why the wagon was called a booboo car.The wheels fell off and were replaced in the 1990s so it squeaks a bit now!👉 museumofchildhood.ie/roses-red-booboo-car/*Boo-Boo Bear is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon character on The Yogi Bear Show. Boo-Boo is a shorter anthropomorphic bear who wears a blue bowtie. Boo-Boo is Yogi Bear‘s constant companion (not his son, as is sometimes believed), and often acts as his conscience.[16] He tries (usually unsuccessfully) to keep Yogi from doing things he should not do, and also to keep Yogi from getting into trouble with Ranger Smith[17] – often saying, “Mr. Ranger isn’t gonna like this, Yogi.”en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boo-Boo_Bear#limerick #1960s #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #yogibear #booboobear #hannahbarbera #cartoon #popularculture #tvseriesLeft: Rose with the red booboo car, and her mother, Berney in their garden in Limerick, 1961. Photos: Museum of Childhood Ireland, Músaem Óige na hÉireann ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

2 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Today on #GivingTuesday discover and voice YOUR support for the #museumofchildhoodireland🤝 museumofchildhood.ie/support-us/👉 museumofchildhood.ie/home/👉 museumofchildhood.ieFor every child the right to be #seenandheard #músaemóigenahéireann #child #Right #ireland #museums #museum #children #history #culture #heritage Charities Institute Ireland GivingTuesday Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Children's Rights AllianceiIrish Museums AssociationaThe Heritage CounciluDepartment of Education (Ireland)lDepartment of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and MediaMedia ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

2 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
A collection of twenty five little Crolly dolls from the museum’s collection in storage showing a variety of styles, clothing, materials etc One doll has a tag labelled “Gabrielle Castlebellingham”. Could this doll be linked to the “Gabrielle” factory that operated near Bellingham castle from the mid 1950s-70s? If anyone has information on this doll or the factory we’d greatly appreciate it. Our researcher Lauren Kavanagh would love to hear from you at info@museumofchildhood.ie See all the miniature Crollys here: museumofchildhood.ie/minature-crolly-dolls/#Crolly #crollydolls #donegal #spiddal #músaemóigenahéireann #museumofchildhoodireland #Gabrielle #castlebellingham #louth Bellingham Castle Kilsaran & Louth community blog County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

2 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Joe Jackson, 1960s GlasthuleMemories of Two Cinemas and a Beat Club. “Every time I pass by the Spar shop in Glasthule, I am reminded of that building in three of its previous incarnations – the Astoria Cinema, Club Caroline, or the Forum Cinema. It must house countless thousands of memories.In my own case, it is highly likely that I would not be writing this article or have written anything during my career as a journalist and author if I hadn’t gone to the Astoria one afternoon when I was nine. The life-changing experience reminds me that it is too easy to say movies are an escape from reality. They can reshape reality and lead to self-actualisation. That sure happened to me when I saw Deadline Midnight.*During one seminal scene in this forgotten film noir movie set in a newspaper office, a City Editor, played by William Conrad, gave a rousing speech defending the core values of journalism. It concluded with him declaring that their newspaper “Gets good information to people who otherwise might not get that information.” I was hooked. I felt, ‘He makes being a journalist sound like being a Knight of the Round Table.’ I ran home to Eden Villas and told my folks, Phyllis and Joe Jackson, “I am going to be a journalist when I grow up!” Better still, I saw that movie for free. My Dad knew Mr. Scanlon, Manager of the Astoria. I didn’t have to pay to attend those screenings after school during the early 1960s. Not so on Saturday mornings, however, when hundreds of us children would eagerly hold onto the torn half of our ticket stub, hoping to win the raffle for a box of sweets. If you won, you had to walk down the aisle to the front of the cinema to get your prize. You were famous. The Astoria was one of the greatest things about growing up in Glasthule as a child of my g-g-g-generation. I realised that this year when I began writing a memoir. The same is true of the fact that at precisely the same time I transitioned into my teens, the Astoria closed down and reopened as one of the first Beat Clubs in Dublin: Club Caroline. I still have a rough draft of my membership application card on which I added two years to my age to gain admittance to this site of afternoon teenage dances linked to the great Radio Caroline. It was, in fact, designed to resemble the Mi Amigo ship from which the pirate radio station broadcast. This made it all even more exciting. The DJ, often Danny Hughes, was located on a stage in front of what had been the cinema screen; there was a lower deck dance area, an upper deck, a mast, and, best of all, booths in which couples could sit and kiss. More than once, I saw Christian Brothers arrive to haul students out of this “Den of inequity,” as we were told it was, in school. God knows that made us run even faster to get to Club Caroline. I often wonder what the Parish Priest in Glasthule, Father O’ Sullivan, would have said on the night later in the decade if he had walked past Club Caroline and seen me standing outside passionately kissing a nun who was responding in kind. I guess here I should hastily add that it was after a Fancy Dress Party, and she was not a real nun. Yet there is no doubt that thousands of us teenagers had real fun inside, outside, and maybe behind Club Caroline. Best of all, it didn’t attract only local kids from Glasthule, Sandycove, and Dun Laoghaire. They came from areas such as Dalkey, Foxrock, Killiney, and further afield, which was a social first for Glasthule and heaven if you were dating. The Astoria and Club Caroline were so important to this kid’s life that I wrote about each in my diary, noting in 1965, ‘Tommy the Toreador was the last film shown in the Astoria’ and, in 1970, ‘The Astoria is set to reopen as a cinema called The Forum, I hear.’ My favourite memory from the latter period comes from 1971 and involves Father O ‘ Sullivan. He probably knew me best because I was in charge of Sodality for St. Brendan’s Youth Club, in Beaufort. He must have been perplexed, to say the least after he heard a rumour that I intended to smoke dope when I went to see Woodstock at the Forum. Worse still, he was told that I was trying to “induce a younger, local chap” to do the same. So, he said to my Dad one night at our front door after he arrived, hoping, presumably, to save our souls from eternal damnation, or, as he might have seen it, from the inevitability of deepening addiction to heavier drugs. The latter, dubious a premise as it might have been, was commendable. However, something Father O’Sullivan said made it difficult for Dad and me not to laugh, though we didn’t. He mispronounced the word, ‘marijuana.’“I have been told by someone who is worried about them that they are planning to buy marriage-u-ana downstairs in Murray’s Record Centre and smoke it in the Forum.”“Buy what, Father?”“Marriage-u-ana, or ‘grass’ as I hear it is called, though God knows why.” “Thank you for informing me. I will deal with Joseph my own way.”How did dad “deal” with me? He showed me his stash of hash, a drug I didn’t know until then; he occasionally used “Listening to music.” Talk about a hip Father. And I don’t mean Father O’Sullivan. As it transpired, I was anti-drugs; the thought of getting stoned at Woodstock with that younger guy who I heard say he’d like to, was a momentary fancy, and it never happened. I went to see Woodstock in the Forum on my own, and while sitting there, I realised I didn’t have to buy dope to enjoy it. The cinema was filled with the pungent aroma of people smoking dope. If I had checked I’m sure the walls would have been stoned. Glasthule was a glorious place to grow up.”Joe Jackson Joe Jackson’s memoir, East of Eden Villas, will be published in 2026.Read Joe’s story, as part of our Snapshots of Childhood series in full here 👉 museumofchildhood.ie/stories-of-our-childhoods/*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/-30-_(film)Joe, age 7 on a wall in Glasthule, with Sandycove in the background. Photo by Joe Jackson senior ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

2 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
“Listen to the Future. Stand Up for Children's Rights.” Is the theme of #WorldChildrensDay2024 and we love Celebrating it at the Museum of Childhood Ireland! 📣 November 20th is a special occasion where the world comes together to help celebrate and advocate for child rights, their well-being, and opportunities. Here, at the museum this day holds particular significance. We believe that childhood plays an integral role in both history and for shaping the future, as well as being important to respect and honour in the here and now. By reflecting on the past and capturing the views and experiences of contemporary childhoods, we promote the idea that childhood is as important then as it is now. What does World Children’s Day celebrate?This day celebrates the anniversary of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959) which formed the basis for Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). This is a very special document as it sets out the rights of children everywhere and makes sure that every child is protected, provided for, and is able to participate fully in society, regardless of their backgrounds.The UK first implemented the UNCRC in 1991 followed by the Republic of Ireland a year later. This means that every child on the island of Ireland is entitled to the protections and provisions set out in the document. The Museum of Childhood is a rights-respecting organisation and believes in making sure that the voices of all our young members are heard and help to shape how our museum is run. How you can help?Children Join our Youth Advisory Panel: If you are a young person who is interested in history, contemporary life or museums, and having your voice heard, please get in touch with us:museumofchildhood.ie/we-are-the-childrens-advisory-team/how-to-join-the-moci-childrens-advisory-t...AdultsHave Conversations: Chat to the children in your life about the things they think are important. This can be about their rights, climate change, history or anything else that is significant to them.From the Child Rights Team at the Museum of Childhood Ireland, Músaem Óige na hÉireann:Gráinne Cumbers, Child Rights Team LeadClare Daly, Child Protection and LawDr Gabriela Martinez-Sainz, Children’s Rights Alliance liaisonDr Rowan Oberman, Child Rights and Citizenship Dr Harry Shier, Children’s Advisory Team LeadHadjer Taibi, Team Facilitatormuseumofchildhood.ie/childrens-rights-team/Children's Rights Alliance Ombudsman for Children's Office Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

2 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Dr Harry Shier and Hadjer Taibi, are the coordinators of the incredible Children’s Advisory Team at Museum of Childhood Ireland. They are seeking a volunteer/s to join them in the facilitation group. Might this be a fit for you? From the beginning, aiming to make sure that the views, ideas and interests of children and young people have top priority in the development, programming and organisation of the museum, the MoCI Children’s Advisory Team was established. The Children’s Advisory Team meets regularly to advise the Museum’s (adult) Board of Directors on all aspects of the running of the museum. The team currently has 15 members aged between 10 and 17, who collectively draw on over 200 years’ lived experience of childhood to advise the board from a child’s point of view.While the team makes its own decisions, their work is coordinated by a dedicated group of adult facilitators. Harry and Hadjer are looking for volunteers to join this adult facilitation group.👉Read more here, including role specification, requirements and how to contact us: museumofchildhood.ie/cat-facilitation-group/museumofchildhood.ie/#facilitator #childrights #Participation #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #museum #children #adolescents #SeenAndHeard #childvoice #ireland #WorldChildrensDay #WorldChildrensDay2024 Harry Shier Children's Rights Alliance Ombudsman for Children's Office Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

2 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
From Ballymun to Springhill Ave., Blackrock“My name is Geraldine Parry. I am 63 years old and l Iive in Blackrock, Co Dublin. These dolls belonged to me and my sister Jean Parry, who was one year older than me.The dolls names are Aideen (blonde haired) and Jeanette (brown haired). We received these dolls for Christmas in 1964. Our Mother Josie died on the 10th of December 1964, two weeks before Christmas, so Santa was extra good to us that year.My Dad went to Clerys for the dolls. We loved them and minded them. I was even allowed to take mine to school with me for a few days in junior infants, at Our Lady of Victories, Ballymun Ave.A few years later my Dad remarried, and we moved from Ballymun to Blackrock, dolls in tow.All our little friends loved our child sized, walkie-talkie dolls too and minded them, bathed them and looked after them, all the time, with us.Our older sister Kay, at 19 went to London, to attend nursing college but every now and then would send home handmade outfits for the dolls which we loved receiving.Our stepmother Catherine was a wonderful and kind person too who would also make us clothes for our dolls.The dolls, purchased in Clery’s were named Aideen ( blond hair) and Jeannette ( brown hair)We had many, many happy years and lovely memories playing with these dolls.”Geraldine Parry.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerys👉 museumofchildhood.ie/geraldine-and-jean-parrys-dolls-christmas-1964/ #sisters #mother #stepmother#dolls #Christmas #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #ballymun #blackrock #clerys #dublinireland ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

2 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
With a cold snap on the way…”The Great Freeze of winter 1962-63.* Here I am again in the garden in the snow with my Clonmel doll’s pram.” Rose Doyle, Limerick 1960smuseumofchildhood.ie/annas-nenagh-and-roses-clonmel-doll-prams/*https://irishweatheronline.wordpress.com/climate-of-ireland/historic-weather-events/winter-of-1962-1963/www.irishtimes.com/environment/2024/11/15/snow-forecast-for-next-week-as-winter-weather-sets-in/#snow #weather #ireland #limerick #Clonmel #dollspram #dollpram #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #Children #Childhood #thegreatfreeze #winter #1960s ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

2 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
We're delighted to announce our two winners of our recent Homemade Halloween costume competition.Our second winners are Eliza, Eva and Enzo from Co Louth who went all out this year. "Eliza is Raven (her mum made her purple cloak), Eva is Sherlock Holmes (she made her waistcoat herself, and thrifted her coat from our local charity shop) and Enzo is Batman (a reused costume)!!!" Our winners will receive a fabulous prize of a selection of the above books (in English and as Gaeilge!) sponsored by O'Brien Press and a host of arts and crafts goodies sponsored by Faber Castell Ireland to help them to create many more works of art! Thank you all for sending in, we loved seeing your costumes. #museumofchildhoodireland #halloween #MúsaemÓigeNahÉireann ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

2 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
We're delighted to announce our two winners of our recent Homemade Halloween costume competition.The first is Sarah from Dublin who sent in these incredible lego costumes she made with her kids this Halloween. Sarah says:"We love arts and crafts in our house! Check out our Lego men!!!" Our winners will receive a fabulous prize of a selection of the above books (in English and as Gaeilge!) sponsored by O'Brien Press and a host of arts and crafts goodies sponsored by Faber Castell Ireland to help them to create many more works of art! Thank you all for sending in, we loved seeing your costumes. #museumofchildhoodireland #halloween #MúsaemÓigeNahÉireann ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

3 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Barbara Hopkins, on her childhood in 1960s Dublin, and honouring her mother Rose Ryan (nee Skelton) who was just four years old in this photo. Her mother and her aunts had entered her into a fancy dress competition which she won, dressed as “The Pink Lady.”The photo was taken in the Owl Studios in Henry street in 1936….Read Barbara’s story here: museumofchildhood.ie/stories-of-our-childhoods/👉 Do you know anything about “The Pink Lady” in Dublin/Ireland? We think it might relate to this: www.nypl.org/blog/2012/05/08/musical-month-history-pink-ladyen.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pink_Lady_(musical)#thepinklady #Dublin #1930s #gardinerstreet #abbeycottages #Finglas #children #Fancydress #childhood #childhoodmemories#museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #musical #MarlboroughStreetSchool #Cabra #henrystreet #theowlstudios ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

3 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Oíche Shamhna 2024 Shona Daoibh! lá spraoi teaghlaigh! Ealaín, péinteáil, aisteoireacht, balúin agus go leor eile! (Art, craft, stickers, hand painting, ( 🙏 Laragh, Kate agus Grace!) storytelling ( 🙏 Anna!), Balún (🙏Mr Baloonatic!) and fantastic interactive Cailleach ages Vaimpír ( actors: Lesley (witch) and Billy (vampire) 🙏) Mile buiochas thuismitheoirí agus páistí (🙏families and children) 🥜🔥🍄🧙‍♀️🦇🎃👻🧛‍♂️🌙🍎🕷️🕸️ ⭐️🥳 Bhí an-spraoi againn! Dublin City Councill #BÁCleGaeilge #leanaí #páistí #músaemóigenahéireann #Púca #cailleach #puimcín #sciathánleathair #Bác #samhain #Halloween #museumofchildhoodireland #children #intergenerational ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

3 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
HOMEMADE HALLOWEEN COMPETITIONWe at the Museum of Childhood Ireland are thrilled to announce we are running a competition to find the best homemade, reused or recycled Halloween costume of 2024. Halloween is a time of creativity and fun, and we know that many of you out there have been hard at work creating a wonderful costume for this week’s celebrations. We want to see your costumes! You could be in with the chance of winning some wonderful Halloween prizes such as books, art supplies and more! Send us your pictures and a brief note to us for a chance at being featured on our website and socials!The competition will run until November 5th, and you can reach us by email at cbrowne@museumofchildhood.ie, or on our socials via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn!We can’t wait to see what spooky spectacles you cook up this year. Happy Halloween!!! #halloween #museumofchildhoodireland #homemade #diycostume #oicheshamhna ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

3 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Bígí linn i gcomhair Samhain @ An ILAC! Amárach, 31 Deireadh Fómhair 11: 00 - 16:00. Beidh scéalta ar théama Oíche Shamhna, chomh maith le healaín, péinteáil, aisteoireacht, balúin agus go leor eile. Dírithe ar thuismitheoirí agus páistí, ach fáilte roimh chách atá ag iarraidh cúpla focal agus eispéireas uathúil ar Oíche Shamhna as Gaeilge! Go hiomlán saor in aisceBe with us for Samhain @ An ILAC! Tomorrow, 31st October, 11: 00 - 16:00. There will be storytelling on the Oíche Shamhna theme, as well as art, painting, acting, balloons and much more. Aimed at parents and children in particular but all who want a unique Halloween experience as Gaeilge are welcome! Completely free of charge.#músaemóigenahéireann#museumofchildhoodireland#BaileÁthaCliath #oicheshamhna #samhain #TurasÓirDublin City Council BÁC le Gaeilge Ilac Shopping Centre Michael Abrahamson Museum of Childhood Irelandmuseumofchildhood.ie ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

3 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Halloween Memories from Connie Hurley:“For the longest time as a very small girl I dressed everyday in my ‘fairy princess getting married’ outfit. I would go to the shops in it with my mum, take my big sister to school in it, go to playgroup in it, everywhere. Then one day something switched. I had no interest in the fairy princess bride – I became a little witch.”Connie Hurley, 2024museumofchildhood.ie/halloween-memories-connie-hurley/#halloween #museumofchildhoodireland #oicheshamhnaWant to be featured as part of our Halloween event? Send us your memories and pictures now to be featured on our website and socials! ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

3 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Photo of 16 year old Ann McHugh (McMahon), in 1981, from Greystones, Co Wicklow. Disco dancing competition at the Woodlands Hotel. “Looking through old photos and found this! The trophy was presented to me by Roly Daniels on the night! Anyone who knows me knows I still love to dance.”Read Ann’s story in verse here as part of the Snapshots series: museumofchildhood.ie/stories-of-our-childhoods/#disco #discodancing #greystones #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #childhood #adolescence #rolydaniels #StDavids #WoodlandsHotel ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

3 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Halloween is all about getting your creativity going 🎃 we at the Museum of Childhood Ireland want to see you and your children's homemade costumes this year. Maybe you've repurposed something, maybe you've made something from scratch - send us your photos this Halloween for a spooky scary competition to be announced soon 👻 ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

3 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Brenda Carey’s story, Dublin 1970s“I was out working by the age of fourteen, but I was still a child. Clackers came in in the 1970s. I spotted them in a shop on Aungier St, just past Whitefriers St Church, on the opposite side of the road, near the George’s St end. Two brothers owned the shop there and they sold everything. Myself and Joan, a girl my age who worked in another solicitor’s office as a messenger also, delivered letters from the solicitors we worked for to the Four Courts and to Dublin Castle.We each bought a pair of Clackers from the brothers’ shop. Mine were yellow tinged and hers were brownish. You didn’t have a choice, sure we only got whatever the shopkeeper handed us!I was very good at Clackers but Joan – not so much! She couldn’t keep the rhythm and her hand got bruised. She was very frustrated. My technique you see was that you had to hold the ring between your forefinger and thumb, elbow in line with your side and palm facing upwards. Holding your wrist loosely, like you do when painting, you gently moved the string, from the wrist, up and down, up and down slowly, the balls separating, then back together. The motion had to be steady. Then faster, faster, higher, lower, until the balls hit together above, then below without stopping. My claim to fame was that I could keep this going from George’s St to the Four Courts without stopping! I laugh now when I think of my 1970s journey as a fourteen year old child, with important court papers in my briefcase to be signed, and Clackers in the other…Oh and a loose cigarette and match purchased too, and wearing a Bay City Rollers outfit! The photo was taken in Aungier St, at Mr. Drury’s I believe. His studio was situated beside the solicitors office I worked in, which was Stanley Siev, 31 Aungier St.I handed my wages over directly to my mam, and I got my bus fare back and sometime 1 pound to spend, so Mr. Siev would loan me 5 pounds every 10 weeks. I paid it back at 50p per week and I would go to Penney’s to buy clothes. That top in the photo was green cord with a floral top, from Winston’s in George’s St. I worked there (before I got the job at Sievs) in the stock room with a group of teens. We could put money off clothes every week. The flares were light green, bought in a shop on Wallkinstown Green. Elephant flares were all the business in 1970…and clackers! “👉 museumofchildhood.ie/brenda-careys-clackers/Photo credits: Museum of Childhood Ireland, Músaem Óige na hÉireann.Myself ( left) ( Brenda Carey, formally Darby) & Joan, 15 years old, 1970s. & Clackers. Clackers. BBC: youtu.be/Tf8OKf-JM9o#dublinireland #Clackers #1970s #BayCityRollers #friends #children #solicitors #dublincastle #fourcourts #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

3 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Seen and Heard featured at the Museum of Childhood Ireland's initiative ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

3 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
A little #Crolly doll labelled “Gabrielle Castlebellingham” #louthPerhaps linked to the “Gabrielle” factory that operated near Bellingham castle from the mid 1950s-70s? If you have any information on the doll or the factory, Lauren Kavanagh would love to hear from you here or at: info@museumofchildhood.ie museumofchildhood.ie/minature-crolly-dolls/RTÉ Today County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society Louth Live Dundalk Democrat Louth County Council Bellingham Castle Kilsaran NS Kilsaran & Louth community blog Castlebellingham/Kilsaran Now & Then Castlebellingham/Kilsaran TidyTowns group #Gabrielle #louth #Crolly #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #culture #heritage #research ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

3 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Museum of Childhood Ireland receives grant from The Ireland Funds The Museum of Childhood Ireland, established in 2018, is the first of its kind and is an all-island initiative.The Museum of Childhood Ireland (MoCI) is delighted to announce that it is a recipient of a grant from The Ireland Funds, made possible by Dunard Fund USA.The Museum runs a series of annual events to coincide with national events such as Cruinniú na nÓg, Heritage Week, Culture Night and Bloomsday. It also has extensive collections of children’s toys, books, artwork, furniture and clothing, all carefully catalogued and some of which occasionally feature in popup displays. While we are pleased that these initiatives have reached thousands of children and families across the island of Ireland, our mission is to transition from a virtual to a physical presence to further enhance this experience for everyone. This generous funding provided by The Ireland Funds and Dunard Fund USA will be instrumental in accelerating our activities and ultimately our ability to achieve this mission.We are grateful to The Ireland Funds and Dunard Fund USA for its trust in the Museum of Childhood Ireland and investment in our mission to support bringing this experience to children and families across the island of Ireland.The Ireland Funds is a global philanthropic network established in 1976 to promote and support peace, culture, education and community development throughout the island of Ireland, and Irish-related causes around the world. It has benefited the work of thousands of different organisations, with both financial and non-financial support. Today, The Ireland Funds is one of the largest independent grant makers for the not-for-profit sector in Ireland. Contact details for Museum of Childhood Ireland, Músaem Óige na hÉireann: E: info@museumofchildhood.ie P: +353 87 681 6760Website: museumofchildhood.ie/The Ireland Funds The Museum of Childhood Ireland ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

3 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Thank you Dundalk for a wonderful welcome back again yesterday for the team from The Museum of Childhood Ireland and Sticky Fingers Arts for a free family event of magical storytelling, folklore, puppetry, art and play.Liz Weir, Joe Brennan and Pat Mooney’s yarns inspired, delighted and enchanted!Magical tales of Ireland’s Ancient East.Liz Weir - Irish Storyteller Joe Brennan Storyteller/Writer/Theatre Maker The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Louth County Council#féilenadraíochta#museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #stickyfingersarts #dundalk #SharedIsland ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

3 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
“I learned about the concept of turning in lost property as a result of my walk home from school one day. It was a mystifying notion – instinctively, my acquisitive little brain preferred the ‘finders, keepers’ version.Our family lived close to Loreto Convent Primary School in Omagh, at that time based in a clattery old building on top of a hill, while our house was at the bottom. The school journey never lasted more than five minutes by foot, except when distractions intervened.Like the time I found hidden treasure.I’ve always scuffed along rather than walked, and one day I hit gold – gold and diamonds, to be precise.Going home after lessons, I detoured into a pile of leaves at the side of the school gates for a satisfying crunch and crackle. My Mary Janes trampled over something more solid, however. When I stooped to investigate, I found a ring.I let out a whoop and brandished my trophy. The older brother charged with shepherding me insisted he’d spotted it first, so the ring belonged to him by rights. But I had it in my fist and wasn’t letting go. “I’m giving it to Mammy,” I announced.We sprinted home, where I presented it to her, but she was less jubilant than expected. “That looks like someone’s engagement ring,” she said. “Where exactly did you find it?”To my amazement, I was given to understand that we couldn’t keep the ring – it would have to be handed in. The school was the likeliest place to start. My mother set down the baby (there always seemed to be one on her hip), wrote a note for the head nun and despatched my brother back up the hill, diamond in pocket.Feeling wronged, I moped for the rest of the day.Annoyingly, I never found out if the ring was claimed. All I know is I never laid eyes on my booty again.Children continually learn things they’d prefer not to, and at the age of five, I had discovered that finders aren’t necessarily keepers. I suppose the lesson has stuck.But I never see a drift of autumn leaves without wondering if something glittery lies beneath. And sometimes – all right, quite often – I check.”The wonderful Dr Martina Devlin’s seasonal story on her walk to school in Omagh, in ‘When We Were Kings and Queens of the Road’.’Read Martina’s story and other stories in the series here: museumofchildhood.ie/when-we-were-kings-and-queens-of-the-road-dr-martina-devlin/#martinadevlin#WhenWeWereKingsAndQueens #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #walktoschool #finderskeepers #treasure #omagh “I’m six in this photo, so just a year older than in the story.”Robert Burns ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

4 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Who played the street game Elastics? Also known as French skipping, Americian skipping, Chinese jumps, German jumps, and other names...Does anyone still have the elastics they played with? Or Clackers? Or skipping rope? Or tin and chalk for hopscotch etc? ♫♪ England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales... inside, outside, inside, scales. ♫♪ It required an enormous elastic band which was placed around the ankles of two “anchor” players.The band could also be fashioned from elastic thread, smaller elastic bands linked/tied together or in times of great need, pairs of nylon tights robbed from your mother! ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

4 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
A moving tribute to his childhood hero Luke Kelly from Liam McGrath, Whitehall, Dublin. 1980sIt was the summer holidays of 1981 in the Comeragh mountains, county Waterford. Myself and my cousin Niamh had been loitering around the back of the big trailer that The Dubliners were due to play on. I had my mind set on saying hello to Luke Kelly. He had been sick with a brain tumour and in the days leading up to the concert many believed that he wouldn’t be able to be there. I just really wanted to see him, get an autograph and tell him that we were all thinking of him and wishing him well.Being a kid from the Dublin suburbs, I looked forward to every school holiday getting a chance to go be with the cousins in the country. My mam was one of eleven and we were the only city dwellers. To go back to the place where she grew up and help around the family farm was great. I remember one year, the job for the summer was to remove rocks from a big field so it could be used the following year for oats or barley. It was great to feel useful because when the hay was being saved I wasn’t strong enough to lift a bail onto the back of a trailer. I remember the feeling of being part of something, dirt under my fingernails, welts on my hands and sitting around a table of fifteen or more to eat spuds, ham and cabbage and drink fresh milk. Large chunks of butter on my plate and Dilly, my grandfather’s faithful and award-winning sheepdog by my feet, knowing that I’ll give him a little bit of fat from the side of my plate.My mam, the eldest of the girls, had left home at eighteen to go work as a nurse in London. It was there at an Irish dance night that she met my dad who was a city boy. Although his family was from West Cork, he was born in London. He often shared with me the culture shock of being brought back to West Cork during the war. When he was old enough to attend school he had to learn everything through Irish. He sometimes ended up in fights with the other kids because they were from England. When he returned to London six years later at the age of ten, it was tough for him and his two younger brothers, who now knew nothing of doing subjects in English. He had to be saved by them on more than one occasion in school-yard brawls that erupted because they were ‘stupid Paddy’s’. My dad gradually excelled in school and by the age of sixteen had won a coveted apprenticeship in the tool- making department of Fords in Dagenham. His dad worked on the foundry floor and somehow had swung this role for his eldest son. At twenty three he met my mam at that Irish Céilí night in Mile End in London. They married and soon set their sights on returning to Ireland.My dad got a job in Dublin airport and so we all ended up being brought up to the sound of the thunder of the Jumbo taking off. I always looked forward to every summer when we sometimes got to go work on the family farm and usually at the end of the summer you’d get £5 to spend on slot machines and arcade games in Dungarvan.The cousins never let you feel bad for being from Dublin, but it was with some of the other kids you’d come into contact with. There was a bit of a suspicion of the ‘dirty Jackeens’. Apparently, we ‘flew the Union Jack up there’ and that was one of the reasons why we could not be fully trusted.I had met Luke Kelly once before. I spotted him with his partner one Christmas Panto night sitting on high chairs at the bar in the Olympia theatre in Dublin. He was such a hero in our household. I wanted to just stand beside him and say hello. I walked straight over to try and order a bottle of Coke from the bar. Although there was loads of space either side of him and his partner, I decided I would stand waiting for the barman to take my order in front of the two of them. I stood without looking at them, waiting to make my order when Luke swung around and looked at me up and down. He held out his hand, “How are you, what’s your name?”, “my name is Luke”. “Liam is my name, I live near where you used to live in Whitehall”. “Nice to meet you, Liam from Whitehall”. He introduced me to his friend who he said was from Germany. She smiled and shook my hand. He looked at my blue dungarees worn over a sturdy Aran jumper that the Clancy’s would have been proud of. “I love your outfit” he said. He asked me what I was having. He ordered it, and handed me my Coke. It made my year.Now here I was, two years later, in the middle of county Waterford at the Buhadoon Festival, away from the crowd who were waiting on the other side of the trailer, standing with my hero, the chief Dubliner, and proud of where I came from.As it would have it, two and a half years later I was kneeling in the Church of the Holy Child in Whitehall, as an altar boy officiating at Luke Kelly’s funeral. My name just happened to be on the roster for that cold morning. As I knelt there, deeply saddened, I said a prayer and I wished him well, and told him that I looked forward to seeing him another day in a better place.Liam McGrath, 2024Read all the ‘Snapshots’ stories here 📚 museumofchildhood.ie/stories-of-our-childhoods/ #LukeKelly #dubliners #Whitehall #dublinireland #children #childhood #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #1980s ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

4 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
“Given we can't escape the election speculation these days, here are some thoughts on children as active citizens and ideas for citizenship education activities in the classroom!” Aoife Titley. A blog from the museum’s Education Team on providing the conditions to nurture children's understanding of citizenship and elections.The latter is likely to be timely! …Taking children’s citizenship seriously means providing educational opportunities and environments in which teachers, educators and practitioners can model, explicitly teach, and provide opportunities for children to form and express their view(s); engage in active listening; respond to others’ viewpoints and create a space for difference and acceptance.Teachers, parents and guardians can produce some of the conditions of citizenship and make it possible for children to experience the possibilities of active citizenship and become motivated to learn how power works…Read the blog in full on our website at the link here: 👉 museumofchildhood.ie/children-as-active-citizens/ 💡#activecitizens #activecitizenship #children #youth #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #Education Maynooth University Early Childhood Ireland Early Childhood Network Ireland National Childhood Network ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

4 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Oíche Chultúir 2024, Dr Sorcha de Brún, Músaem Óige na hÉireann, anseo!: youtu.be/pC_hDLLBhNAmuseumofchildhood.ie/an-te-a-bhionn-siulach-bionn-se-scealach/ #OícheChultúir #filíocht #Scéal ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

4 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
“I started walking to school with my brothers when I was five years old. Bag wobbling around my back, mother nervously waving us off.Down the muddy patch us adventurers traversed, the morning light breaking over the roofs of grey houses in Shamrock Lawn, friends joining as we slowly moved towards school. Talk of homework, which teacher was mean or funny, Manchester United and the football card we were hoping to get in our next purchase filled our childish minds. The final hurdle, a damaged, trampled fence and then into St Columba’s Boys National School. This was 1980’s Ireland.The sun seemed younger then, and when it weakened and ebbed away I knew summer was leaving. With each leaf that fell winter was closer. September was made palatable by the treasure trove of acorns and conkers I collected in my jumper. Bringing them home to treat them so they would be triumphant in the next morning’s battle on the way to school.”Dr Richard Hogan Read Richard’s story here 👉 museumofchildhood.ie/when-we-were-kings-and-queens-of-the-road-dr-richard-hogan/ #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #WhenWeWereKings #acorns #conkers #school #walkingtoschool #Cork #1980sA photo of Richard (centre) from his schooldaysRobert Burns ... See MoreSee Less

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The Museum of Childhood Ireland

4 months ago

The Museum of Childhood Ireland
‘A Look To The Future: Researching Childhood And Youth’ for #culturenight2024 on Friday Sept 20th is now listed: Watch here: 👉 youtu.be/sDAQmL9ObdE?si=8DcSvmVoAgf3TEpPculturenight.ie/event/a-look-to-the-future-researching-childhood-and-youth/Find two more here:museumofchildhood.ie/culture-night/Féach anseo: 👉 youtu.be/pC_hDLLBhNA?si=l2DVKFaNPJEDXVpkmuseumofchildhood.ie/an-te-a-bhionn-siulach-bionn-se-scealach/And: museumofchildhood.ie/art-resources/#museumofchildhoodireland#músaemóigenahéireann#CultureNight#CultureNightDublindlr Heritage Events Culture Night Dublin Culture Night Culture Night Belfast Culture Night Donegal Galway County Culture Night Culture Night Cork County Oíche Chultúir sa Ghaeltacht ... See MoreSee Less

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