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The Museum of Childhood Ireland
Músaem Óige na hÉireann.Est 2018.Historic, groundbreaking 1st for Ireland.Multi-award winning Islandwide-Diaspora,Historic-Contemporary museum of children & childhood. Seen & Heard.Cherishing all the children of the Nation equally…Charity number 20205452
Continuing the #MuseumOFChildhoodIreland ‘s reflective, questioning exploration of the relatively ‘unsupervised by adults’ spaces of childhood – the journey to and from school and championing the reclamation of street space for the health, safety and enjoyment of children and local communities. ![]()
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Our next story in the #WhenWeWereKingsAndQueensOfTheRoad series is from Emer McLysaght.![]()
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"At eleven, I switched to a local school for fifth class. That Christmas a new bike appeared under the tree and I and was soon granted permission to cycle the three miles to the village. Well, I didn’t know myself! I was the queen of the open road. I was an intrepid explorer. I was Emer Shackleton. I can still remember the gateways that required special attention because of territorial dogs. I can picture the hills to be conquered, the deepest potholes, and the blind bends. It was the early nineties, so not a helmet in sight. Luckily, I never came off. My status as a cyclist didn’t just give me freedom to and from school, it also bestowed special privileges during…"![]()
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Read Emer McLysaght’s full story: 👇 ![]()
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museumofchildhood.ie/when-we-were-kings-and-queens-of-the-road-emer-m![]()
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See more on this project 👉 museumofchildhood.ie/when-we-were-kings-and-queens-of-the-road/![]()
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#músaemóigenahéireann #museumofchildhoodireland #EmerMcLysaght #1990s #cycling #cycletoschool #kildare #tallaght #IrishIndependent #newkidsontheblock #gameofrounders #traffic #bus #irishtimes #dublin8 #UmbroSchoolBag #bikewheelreflectors #WaterFight #stream #play #saferoutestoschool #activetravel #cycling #sharedstreets #irishcycling #ICC #departmentoftransport #DepartmentOfEducation![]()
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Emer McLysaght | Robert Burns | Majella McAllister | Chloe Browne | Department of Children, Disability and Equality
🎉 Celebrating Ireland’s National Play Day![]()
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Ireland’s National Play Day* took place between the 5th and 13th of July, aiming to ‘promote play and recreation opportunities for children and young people across the country, with the 2025 theme being ‘The power of play.’ Read more 👉 museumofchildhood.ie/street-play/ ![]()
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🤝 Join us in Celebrating childhood. The Museum of Childhood Ireland, Músaem Óige na hÉireann is committed to cherishing all children of the nation – past, present and future. A key strategic priority for the Museum is to secure a permanent City Centre location where children's voices and experiences can be seen, heard, and celebrated.![]()
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🏢 🛝 🎪 ⛹♀️ ![]()
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Do you know of a potential central space that could become our new home? Or would you like to support our mission in other ways?![]()
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Tag someone who values children's play or share this post to help us spread the word! Together, we can create a national treasure that honours childhood for generations to come. ✨ ![]()
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Danielle Ford | Ekaterina Tikhoniouk | Majella McAllister | Gráinne Cumbers| Clare Daly CIPP/E | Dr Gabriela Martínez Sainz | Dr Rowan Oberman | Children's Rights Alliance | Department of Children, Disability and Equality | Department of Education and Youth | A Playful City![]()
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#PlayStreets #PlayStreetsDublin #nationalplayday #LetsPlay #LetsPlayIreland #childrights #childrensrights #playmatters #ChildLedPlay #natureplay #outdoorlearning #DesignWithPurpose #PlayIsEssential #RightToPlay #play #PowerOfPlay #formalplayspaces #CherishingAllTheChildrenofTheNation #Past #Present #Future #SeenAndHeard #ChildrensVoices #Children #Childhood #RaisingAwareness #museumofchildhoodireland #MúsaemÓigeNahÉireann #dcediy
Today marks World Youth Skills Day 2025, focusing on "Youth Empowerment Through Digital Skills and Artificial Intelligence (AI)." As António Guterres reminds us, young people are the co-creators of our digital future. ![]()
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“As AI reshapes our world, young people must be seen not just as learners – but as co-creators of a fairer digital future.” ![]()
UN Secretary-General António Guterres![]()
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This Youth Day, our Child Rights Team reflects on the power of young people as drivers of change and the importance of skills development, empowering young people to tackle today’s challenges and shape a better future. See more here: ![]()
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👉 museumofchildhood.ie/world-youth-skills-day-2025/![]()
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#raisingawareness #WorldYouthSkillsDay #YouthDay2025 #WYSD #WYSD2025 #childrights #youthempowerment #artificialintelligence #AI #DigitalSkills #museumofchildhoodireland #MúsaemÓigeNahÉireann![]()
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United Nations | UNESCO | UNESCO Youth | Children's Rights Alliance Gráinne Cumbers | Clare Daly CIPP/E | Dr Gabriela Martínez Sainz | Dr Rowan Oberman | Anna Morgan | Majella McAllister
Dr Tasha O'Donnell's blog describes that moment. It happens each year. ECE educators look around, soaking in the busy hum of creativity and discussion. They realise that each child now feels safe in their ECE environment, able to enjoy their autonomy. It's a familiar feeling to educators, and one that deserves a quiet moment of reflection and appreciation.![]()
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To read the full blog from our Education Team, click here: ![]()
museumofchildhood.ie/reflections-of-an-ece-educator/![]()
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#MarinoInstituteofEducation #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #earlychildhood #earlychildhoodeducation #ECE #education #edchat #children Eemer Eivers, Dr Natasha O’Donnell
On July 1st, the Children's Advisory Team held their third in person meeting inOmbudsman for Children’s Office9;s Office, with guest speaker Dr Lollie MaRTÉy from RTÉ's Futureville and Programme Director for Innovation and EntreUniversity College Dublin College Dublin's Innovation Academy.![]()
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Read more about what we did on the day in our latest blog, here: museumofchildhood.ie/our-third-live-in-person-#cherishingallthechildrenofthenatione#pastr#presenta#futurea#seenandheardf#childrensvoicesa#lolliemanceyV#museumofchildhoodirelandu#músaemóigenaéireann##FuturevilleÉireann #Futureville
📍Day 7 and the last in our series of featured #Bloomsday Young Writers Competition finalists is a wonderful submission by Angela from Dublin, age 10. Angela’s entry, ‘When I Woke Up’, can be viewed, here: museumofchildhood.ie/when-i-woke-up/![]()
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👩⚖️ 🧑⚖️ Judges reaction: ![]()
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Fantastic essay, imaginative writing evoking a dream world. I really enjoyed how you described the colours and scents when setting the scene. It made me feel like I was there too.![]()
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This competition has been presented in conjunction with our friends in Archbishop Marsh's Library and in collaboration with the The James Joyce Centre Dublin Bloomsday Festival programme. ![]()
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🙏 Our sponsors: The O'Brien Press | Experience Glasnevin – Ireland's National Cemetery | Children's Books Ireland | Futa Fata | Gill Books ![]()
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#writers #reading #literature #joyce #jamesjoyce #childrens #bloomsday #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #schools #stories #creativity #imagination Department of Culture, Communications and Museum of Literature Ireland, Children's Books Ireland, Cúirt International Festival of Literature , Eemer Eivers, Majella McAllister, Sarah Webb, Dr Becky Long, Ciarán Collins, Nathan Finn, Prof Anthony Hall, Dr Danny Denton, Shauna Bannon Ward, Dr Suzanne O' Keeffe, Dr Regina Murphy, PhD, Emma Farragher, and Dr Liz Dunphy.
📍Day 6 in our series of featured #Bloomsday Young Writers Competition finalists is a submission by Chris from Dublin, age 14. Chris’ entry entitled – ‘I Woke up Again’ – can be viewed, here: museumofchildhood.ie/i-woke-up-again/![]()
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👩⚖️ 🧑⚖️ Judges reaction: ![]()
Superbly written narrative about liminal experiences. You did an amazing job of showing the reader, rather than just telling them. The way you used the narrator's confusion and the idea that they kept waking up in the new places, it was very inventive.![]()
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This competition has been presented in conjunction with our friends in Archbishop Marsh's Library and in collaboration with the The James Joyce Centre Dublin's Bloomsday Festival programme. ![]()
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🙏 Our sponsors: The O'Brien Press | Experience Glasnevin – Ireland's National Cemetery | Children's Books Ireland| Futa Fata | Gill Books![]()
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#writers #reading #literature #joyce #jamesjoyce #childrens #bloomsday #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #schools #stories #creativity #imagination Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, Museum of Literature Ireland, Children's Books Ireland, Cúirt International Festival of Literature, Eemer Eivers, Majella, Sarah Webb, Dr Becky Long, Ciarán Collins, Nathan Finn, Prof Anthony Hall, Dr Danny Denton, Shauna Bannon Ward, Dr Suzanne O' Keeffe, Dr Regina Murphy, PhD, Emma Farragher, and Dr Liz Dunphy.
📍Day 5 in our series of featured #Bloomsday Young Writers Competition finalists is a submission by Katelyn from Minnesota, age 17. Katelyn’s piece entitled – ‘Eye of the Beholder’ – can be viewed, here: museumofchildhood.ie/eye-of-the-beholder/![]()
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👩⚖️ 🧑⚖️ Judges reaction: ![]()
Beautifully composed and imaginative story. This felt like an amazing start to a novel that I'd absolutely love to keep reading! ![]()
This competition has been presented in conjunction with our friends in Archbishop Marsh's Library and in collaboration with the The James Joyce Centre Dublin's Bloomsday Festival programme. ![]()
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🙏 Our sponsors: The O'Brien Pressess Ltd | Experience Glasnevin – Ireland's National Cemetery | Children's Books Ireland | Futa Fata | Gill Books![]()
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#writers #reading #literature #joyce #jamesjoyce #childrens #bloomsday #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #schools #stories #creativity #imagination Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, Museum of Literature, Children's Books Ireland, Cúirt International Festival of Literature, Eemer Eivers, Majella McAllister, Sarah Webb, Dr Becky Long, Ciarán Collins, Nathan Finn, Prof Anthony Hall, Dr Danny Denton, Shauna Bannon Ward, Dr Suzanne O' Keeffe, Dr Regina Murphy, PhD, Emma Farragher, and Dr Liz Dunphy.
Every child deserves a world where they are safe, seen, and celebrated. As we close out Pride Month, we want to recognise the importance of Child Rights, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community. Children in Ireland, regardless of their identity, are entitled to the rights laid out with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC, 1989). ![]()
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To read our full blog post on Pride and Child Rights at the Museum of Childhood, click here: museumofchildhood.ie/pride-and-child-rights-at-the-museum-of-childhood/![]()
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Gráinne Cumbers, Rowan Oberman, Clare Daly CIPP/E.![]()
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#Pride25 #Pride #lgbtq+ #diversity #inclusion #equity #belonging #childrights #ChildrensRights #children #childhood #ireland #childandyouthvoices #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #UNCRC ![]()
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United Nations | United Nations Youth | United Nations Foundation | Department of Justice Ireland @Department of Education and Youth
📍Day 4 in our series of featured #Bloomsday Young Writers Competition finalists sees us share an entry from Lucy who is 11 and from Luxembourg. Lucy’s piece entitled – ‘A Splatter of Paint’ – can be viewed, here: museumofchildhood.ie/a-splatter-of-paint/![]()
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👩⚖️ 🧑⚖️ Judges reaction: ![]()
Brilliantly crafted, suspenseful narrative…loved the pace of this story and how it sped up as the character began to panic……could feel it as a reader. ![]()
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This competition has been presented in conjunction with our friends in Archbishop Marsh's Library and in collaboration with the The James Joyce Centre Dublin's programme. ![]()
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🙏 Our sponsors: The O'Brien Press | Experience Glasnevin – Ireland's National Cemetery | Children's Books Ireland | Futa Fata | Gill Books![]()
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#writers #reading #literature #joyce #jamesjoyce #childrens #bloomsday #museumofchildhoodireland #músaemóigenahéireann #schools #stories #creativity #imagination Department of Culture, Communications and Sport @Department of Education and Youth, Museum of Literature Ireland, Children's Books Ireland, Cúirt International Festival of Literature, Eemer Eivers, Majella McAllister, Sarah Webb, Dr Becky Long, Ciarán Collins, Nathan Finn, Prof Anthony Hall, Dr Danny Denton, Shauna Bannon Ward, Dr Suzanne O' Keeffe, Dr Regina Murphy, PhD, Emma Farragher, and Dr Liz Dunphy.