Little Museum of Dublin
Músaem Beag Bhaile Átha Cliath | |
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  Location within Central Dublin | |
| Established | October 2011 |
|---|---|
| Location | 15 St Stephen's Green, Dublin, Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53°20′22″N 6°15′30″W / 53.3395°N 6.2582°W |
| Type | Local history museum, urban museum |
| Founder | Trevor White and Simon O’Connor |
| Director | Trevor White |
| Chairperson | Brody Sweeney |
| Curator | Simon O'Connor |
| Public transit access | St. Stephen's Green (Luas Green Line) |
| Website | littlemuseum |
The Little Museum of Dublin is a local history museum situated at St Stephen's Green, Dublin, Ireland. The museum is located in an 18th-century Georgian townhouse owned by Dublin City Council. As of April 2024, the St Stephen's Green museum was "temporarily closed", with its operators reputedly planning to "reopen shortly" at an alternative venue on Dublin's Pembroke Street.[1]
Collection
[edit]As a local history museum for the city of Dublin, the Little Museum chronicles the history of the city in the 20th century. It provides visitors with information on life in Dublin during that time period. The Little Museum, the "brainchild" of director Trevor White and curator Simon O'Connor, was formed in April 2011 and officially opened its doors to the public in October of the same year.[2] A registered charity,[3] the museum is governed by a board that includes representatives of Dublin City Council and Fáilte Ireland.[citation needed]
The museum has a collection of over 5,000 artefacts that have been donated or loaned directly from the people of Dublin. It has three floors of exhibition space in the Georgian townhouse and one floor for office space. The collection includes a stained glass panel of St. Brendan, dated to c. 1920, which is attributed to Irish artist Harry Clarke.[4] The small panel was rescued from a skip, by Peter Pearson,[5] and some pieces are missing.[4] In 2014, the museum purchased an archive of work by artist and poet Christy Brown. As of 19 March 2014, the Little Museum and the National Library of Ireland were the joint owners of a collection that includes private letters and previously unseen sketches, paintings, and poems. The collection was sold by Bonhams in London for nearly 45,000 euro.[6]
Exhibitions in the museum include displays covering the 1916 Rising, U.S. President John F. Kennedy's visit to Dublin, and many other events in Irish political and social history. In 2014 the museum opened an exhibit that focuses on the rock band U2.[7]
Patrons of the Little Museum include Dublin City Council, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the Matheson Foundation, and The Ireland Funds.[3][8]
Recognition
[edit]In 2012, the Little Museum of Dublin was nominated for the European Museum of the Year Award.[citation needed]
An Irish Times article of May 2013 listed the Little Museum as the "best museum experience in Dublin".[9] In 2014, TripAdvisor awarded the museum with a Certificate of Excellence for the third year in a row. In February 2014 the museum won a "David Manley Emerging Entrepreneur Award" in the Arts category.[10] As of 2022, The Little Museum was ranked #4 on TripAdvisor's "things to do in Dublin".[11]
Other programs
[edit]In June 2011, the Little Museum launched an initiative called "City of a Thousand Welcomes". The goal of this initiative was to show the "warmth of local Dubliners" to visitors to the city, by connecting first-time visitors to Dublin with hospitable locals. Over 1,000 such local "ambassadors" were sought to advise visitors on "underestimated" attractions in Dublin, and included historians, teachers, writers and other ordinary city residents.[12][13] The program, a "civic initiative", aimed to connect first-time visitors to Dublin with a local ambassador who would welcome them by taking them out for a cup of tea or a pint.[14] As of 2021, as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland, this initiative was not active.[15]
The museum also offers "I Love Dublin" classes for school children ages 6–17.
Gallery
[edit]-
Front Room of the museum -
Telephone display in the Treasury Room -
Groceries display in Treasury Room -
Rare decree of plenipotentiaries signed by Eamon De Valera under the heading Anglo Irish treaty -
Gold flake lightbox -
Messenger bike
References
[edit]- ^ @littlemuseumdub (8 April 2024). "The Museum Is Temporarily Closed! We will reopen shortly as The History Factory on Pembroke Street. We hope to welcome you very soon!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Owens, Ethine. "Visit the Little Museum, says Ethine Owens". Vulgo.ie. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014.
- ^ a b "Little Museum of Dublin set for new cinema and library after €1m boost". independent. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
- ^ a b Beard, Steve (11 September 2022). "An Unintentional Irish Pilgrimage". Good News. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Museum eye: The Little Museum of Dublin". History Ireland. Vol. 20, no. 5. September 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ "Christy Brown Collection Saved". independent.ie. Independent News & Media. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ "U2: Made in Dublin". littlemuseum.ie. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
- ^ "Our Patrons". littlemuseum.ie. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
museum patrons include the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the Matheson Foundation, the Ireland Funds, and Dublin City Council
- ^ Abbott, Rosa; Gray, Daniel (18 May 2013). "Best of…Culture". Irish Times. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
- ^ "David Manley Award Winners". davidmanleyawards.ie. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014.
- ^ "Things to Do in Dublin". TripAdvisor. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
- ^ "Have a pint on the city. How Dublin's friendly-city reputation has given rise to a unique visitor experience". Ireland.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
- ^ Colley, Jessica (13 July 2012). "Dublin: The "City of a Thousand Welcomes" program connects tourists and locals | EuroCheapo". EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
- ^ "City of a Thousand Welcomes". littlemuseum.ie. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ "City of a Thousand Welcomes Booking Form". littlemuseum.ie. Little Museum. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
Due to the coronavirus, we are currently unable to accept new reservations for the City of a Thousand Welcomes programme
External links
[edit]| International | |
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| National | |
