Interview with Dr. Siobhán Morrissey Rethinking Enid Blyton I thank Dr Siobhán Morrissey, University of Galway, School of Education, for her participation in this interview on Enid Blyton, primary school reading, reading practices, AI, Irish Indigenous literature and for sharing her personal reading experiences. Siobhán Morrissey specialises in studies on Enid Blyton and is busy… Continue reading Rethinking Enid Blyton
Tag: Childhood
Why We Don’t Dream Like That: Rethinking Childhood and Fantasy in India
By Dr Supriya Baijal, Museum of Childhood Ireland’s Literature and Media Team member Introduction Growing up in India, I never stumbled upon enchanted wardrobes or magical portals in the books I read. Instead, I found lively fables, moral lessons, and clever folk tales—often featuring talking animals, wily tricksters, or noble kings. Stories like those from… Continue reading Why We Don’t Dream Like That: Rethinking Childhood and Fantasy in India
Olivia Daly’s Harry Potter Doll House 2015
From an upcycled Barbie house “My daughter Olivia who was 12 years old, and I designed the Harry Potter* house together. She was a big Harry Potter fan for years. She listened to the audio books most nights (she has dyslexia but had a passion for a good story). The movies had also been watched… Continue reading Olivia Daly’s Harry Potter Doll House 2015
When We Were Kings And Queens of the Road
When we Were Kings and Queens of the Road A “Travel to School” project, from Robert Burns and the Museum of Childhood Ireland Músaem Óige na hÉireann Please click ‘When We Were Kings And Queens of the Road’ below to find the introduction. Scroll down to find the stories beneath the images. Happy reading! Original… Continue reading When We Were Kings And Queens of the Road
Childhood Services Week / Seachtain Seirbhísí Leanaí
May 19-23, 2025 As part of National Childhood Services Week 2025, the Museum of Childhood Ireland are very happy to host a recorded read-along / draw-along with Tarsila Kruse. My Little Album of Ireland is a bilingual wordbook from Tarsila & Juliette Saumande. It takes very young readers on an illustrated fun-filled tour of Ireland.… Continue reading Childhood Services Week / Seachtain Seirbhísí Leanaí
When We Were Kings and Queens of the Road: Michael Farry
7 year old Michael Going to and from School 1952-1961 According to Google Maps it’s 1.9 kilometres and takes 25 minutes to walk from where we lived in the railway cottage, through Carrowleam and Shancough, to Rockfield National School. So our daily route to primary school was just over a mile. I think it usually… Continue reading When We Were Kings and Queens of the Road: Michael Farry
Ann’s ‘Bread for the Birds’ basket
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
When We Were Kings and Queens of the Road: Desmond Morris
WALKING TO SCHOOL When Britain declared war on Germany on 3rd September 1939, I was an eleven-year-old schoolboy. I was a day boy at the Swindon High School, and walked there and back each day on my own. It was a distance of about a quarter of a mile. I kept mostly to main streets,… Continue reading When We Were Kings and Queens of the Road: Desmond Morris
International Day of Education (2025)
All children on the Island of Ireland have the right to education. This means that it is the Government’s responsibility to make sure that all children are able to access learning. This is established in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). This is a document that sets out all the… Continue reading International Day of Education (2025)
Wanda the Walking Doll, 1950s
Advance Doll and Toy Co “My Wanda, a gift from an uncle in America, is made of hard plastic with eyes that open and close, blonde hair, yellow dress, and a mechanism in her body which connects to wheels on the soles of her shoes. When wound, this makes her “walk”. Her arms and head… Continue reading Wanda the Walking Doll, 1950s