Féile na Draíochta

Museum of Childhood Ireland, Músaem Óige na hÉireann, with Sticky Fingers Arts Festival Day Time! Tales of Ireland’s Ancient East at Ice House Hill Park, Dundalk 12-4pm. Saturday 12th October 2024. Puppetry, art, craft, mythology, folklore, history, magic, play and storytelling…adventures of curious creatures across land and sea, and exploring the many different worlds in-between.… Continue reading Féile na Draíochta

National Play Day 2024

National Play Day 2024 Time to Play The aim of National Play Day is to promote play and recreation opportunities for children and young people across the country. Play Day is between July 13th and 21st. The theme this year is Time to Play. Time to Play will embrace the importance of recognising the significance… Continue reading National Play Day 2024

International Children’s Day 2024

A wonderful poster designed by Erin one of our young artists, June 1st is International Children’s Day!  The theme of International children’s day 2024 is, ‘Investing in our future means investing in our children’. It’s Playtime! This year Sticky Fingers Arts and the Museum of Childhood Ireland are celebrating International Children’s Day together in Mc… Continue reading International Children’s Day 2024

Ann Finegan-Hyland’s Toy furniture and house

My oldest sister had this Lines Brothers, Triang dolls house that we all played with in the 1970s. It had two floors and a red roof. All of the little pieces of furniture were used in the house. We would also play in our living room with the toy furniture, making other houses for our… Continue reading Ann Finegan-Hyland’s Toy furniture and house

Cantonese Flowerboards: From Hong Kong to Ireland

Welcome to a trilingual blog about Flowerboards, by Cantonese in Ireland (www.cantoneseireland.ie). Flowerboards are an important feature of Hong Kong’s cultural heritage. Read on to understand what flowerboards are, why and how they are made, and see a few that featured in St Patrick’s Day parades! What are flowerboards? Flowerboards are used for ‘for celebrating… Continue reading Cantonese Flowerboards: From Hong Kong to Ireland

Easter, An Cháisc

Easter basket making, at the Rober Emmet CDP, Saturday 23rd March. In preparation for the upcoming Easter egg hunt at St Audeon’s, come and make your own basket for collecting eggs! Spring into Activity at Audoen’s Park, Dublin on Saturday 30th March. Join the Museum of Childhood Irelands’s Dakota and Sofia, with SIDDCA for a… Continue reading Easter, An Cháisc

Berney’s Music Box Theatre

Vintage, handmade wood and Venetian paper musical theatre box in the Commedia dell’ Arte tradition, bought on the Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy, at Al Sogno* the old toyshop, in the early 1990s by Rose for her mother, Berney, who had fond memories of playing with a similar toy theatre in her childhood in Ireland the… Continue reading Berney’s Music Box Theatre

Reflections on … childhood adventures, play, risk and freedom

I wonder if the idea of a museum of childhood is a contradiction in terms? A museum is a space for preservation after all, whereas childhood should be a space for unimpeded activities of playful exploring, discarding, abandoning, followed by more play. Yet, childhood makes an indelible mark on our mind’s eye, and, as science… Continue reading Reflections on … childhood adventures, play, risk and freedom

Tir na nÓg, Tír na hÓige

Children’s Art, Craft, Create, Imagine and Play Workshops from the Museum of Childhood Ireland, Músaem Óige na hÉireann The Museum of Childhood Ireland Músaem Óige na hÉireann have hosted free children’s art and creativity engagement workshops ‘Tír na nÓg’, since early 2018, at SICCDA and the Robert Emmett Community Development Project on Usher St, Usher’s… Continue reading Tir na nÓg, Tír na hÓige