Waterford Country Houses Exhibition Opening

Helen Moynihan, Thomas McCarthy, William Fraher & Julian Walton

Our latest exhibition Waterford Country Houses - History, Architecture & Landscape was officially opened on Thursdsay 22 by author and poet Thomas McCarthy.

Vice Chairperson Helen Moynihan welcomed the guests and introduced the first speaker, Curator William Fraher.  She commented that the history of  Big Houses of Co. Waterford has been the subject of a lifelong study by William and this is evident in the quality of the exhibition.

William began by dedicating the exhibition to the late Mrs. Nell Collender and Desmond Fitzgerald, Knight of Glin, both great collectors.  He thanked Fás and Waterford Leader Partnership for their financial support over the years.  He hoped people would gain an insight into life above and below stairs from this exhibition.  He concluded by reading an amusing piece about the Anson family at Woodhouse, Stradbally in 1902/1903. taken from Clodagh Anson's memoir.

Thomas McCarthy began by stating that this was a "world class" exhibition and he was impressed with all the the aspects which were covered including - gardens, libraries, landlord and tenants, artist's views etc.  Thomas praised the work of William Fraher in promoting Dungarvan and Co. Waterford over many years.  He congratulated the Museum Society on their  continued professionalism in promoting the history of the county through exhibitions such as this and through their excellant web site.  He concluded by reading a poem from his latest book - The Anglo Irish Tea Party.

A number of the owners of houses featured in the exhibition were in attendance and we were delighted to welcome renowned architectural historian, Mark Girourard who was the first to write about the Co.Waterford houses back in the 1960s for Country Life magazine.  Follow us on facebook to view more photographs of the event.

Visit The Museum For Culture Night 7pm to 10pm Friday 23rd September

If you cannot visit the museum during our normal hours of opening, you now have an opportunity to see our latest exhibition on Friday evening 23rd September from 7pm to 10pm thanks to Culture Night.

Learn all about the history of the real life 'Downton Abbeys' visit Waterford County Museum and view our latest exhibition 'The Big Houses In Waterford', which will be officially opened on Thursday 22nd September 2011 at 8.00pm.

This is the first such exhibition on Country Houses to be mounted in Waterford. The museum has an extensive photographic archive and we have picked out a selection of fascinating photos relating to the Big Houses of Co. Waterford. The exhibition is divided into themes such as - Interiors, gardens, costume, the hunt, artists and the Big House, libraries, leisure, servants, the War of Independence, etc.

There are original letters, maps documents, artefacts and pictures from many of the 'Big Houses' in Waterford, including material on the Chearnley family of Salterbridge House, Cappoquin, the Poer family of Belleville, Cappoquin (later the home of the writer Molly Keane) and the de la Poer family of Gurteen le Poer, Kilsheelan. Included is a manuscript account of the 1866 Parliamentary Election held in Dungarvan.

The museum will stay open until 10.00pm on Friday (thanks to the efforts of our volunteer members) but if you can't make it on Culture Night the exhibition will be open Monday to Friday for several months from 10a.m. to 5p.m.

Admission Is Free

If Maps Could Speak, Ordnance Survey Past & Present by Richard Kirwan

The first of the lecture series will take place in the Town Hall on Wednesday September 21 at 8.00pm.

Richard Kirwan is a Waterford native.  Having graduated from UCC with a degree in Civil Engineering, he spent many years working with Ordnance Survey Ireland. He had a childhood fascination with maps and his native city. In his book "If Maps Could Speak" which was published in 2010, he engages his combination of memoir, history and stories about  people and places during the history of Ordnance Survey in Ireland.
Richard is responsible for the modernisation and re- mapping of Ordnance Survey of the entire Country and in his talk he will take the audience behind the scenes and into the minds and early works of the map makers.

The Fenian Wild Geese Book Launch

Áine Ui Fhoglú, Eddie Cantwell, Nioclás Ó Griofain with Ormonde Waters.

On Monday 12 September Mr. Ormonde Waters gave a talk to a full house about his new book - The Fenian Wild Geese.  In his talk he concentrated on local man John Cashman whose family hailed from the Burgery, Abbeyside.  President Nioclás Ó Griofain suggested that a plague be erected to Cashman in Dungarvan.

On behalf of all present he thanked Mr. Waters for his excellent talk.

Lecture Series 2011 - 2012

The lecture series is about to begin again with some new faces and interesting topics.  As usual the lectures will take place on the third Wednesday of every month in the Town Hall at 8.00pm, an entry fee of  €5 applies.  Any changes  in regard to the lectures will be posted here and in the local papers.  The line up is as follows:

September - 21 - Richard Kirwan - If Maps Could Speak, Ordnance Survey Past and Present.

October -19 - David Pollock -Viking Dig at Barronstrand St, Waterford.

November -16 - John Tierney - The Origins of Dungarvan - Evidence from Shandon.

January - 18 - Dr. Méabh Ní Fhuartháin - Details to be confirmed.

February - 15 - Bill Power - The Blackwater River, Discovering the Irish Rhine from Source to Sea.

March - 21- William Fraher - Old Dungarvan Families.

Museum Photograph Used by BBC 4

5 R.I.C. officers posing for a photograph at Kiely’s Cross, Ardmore. Sgt Patrick Hassett is seated center.

On a BBC 4 programme aired on Saturday 11 August entitled "From our own Correspondent" Fergal Keane foreign affairs correspondent with the BBC discussed the state of the Irish economy.
This discussion was prompted by a picture of his great grandfather Sgt Patrick Hassett who was a member of the Royal Irish  Constabulary, which he found  on display at an exhibition held  in Ardmore, Co. Waterford during the summer months. The picture is part of the the collection on the museum website www.waterfordcountyimages.org
A synopsis of the talk can be found online in the  BBC  News magazine.

Talk On The Fenian Wild Geese by Ormonde D.P. Waters.

On September 12 Ormonde D.P.Waters will give a talk on his latest book "The Fenian Wild Geese" to the Museum Society members   Ormonde was born in County Cork in 1932 and emigrated to Western Australia with his family from Laytown Co. Meath in 1967.  Here he pursued a successful career in the state public service.  He is widely recognised as the pre - eminent authority in his special areas of historical interest which include the United Irishmen of 1798, the life and works of John Boyle O'Reilly, the sixty two Fenians transported to Western Australia on the last convict ship in 1868, and the Catalpa Rescue of 1876.  Ormonde D.P. Waters is a former editor of the Journal of the Australian Irish Heritage Association The Fenian Wild Geese is his latest publication.  The event will take place at 8.00 pm in the museum.