The lecture season is with us again, with the first talk beginning in October.
The talks will take place on the third Wednesday of each month at 8.p.m in the Town Hall Theatre unless otherwise stated. Entry fee for the talks is €5. Any changes will be published here and in the local papers.
The line-up for the coming season is as follows:
13. October- Julian Walton- Lismore Castle & Cathedral- A Personal View.
17 November - Michael Smith- Ireland’s Antarctic Explorers.
(The venue for this talk is Lawlor’s Hotel).
19 January-William Fraher.- “The Bad Times” The War of Independence & The Big Houses in Co.Waterford.
16 February- Bernadette Guest.- Aspects of Co.Waterford’s Heritage
23 March- Details to be confirmed.
Seminar on Houses,Gardens & Demesnes of Co. Waterford.
Brochure on the Seminar
On Thursday October 14 a seminar on the historic houses, gardens and demesnes of County Waterford will be held in Lismore Castle. Waterford has many fine homes and gardens, such as Dromana House, Ballyin House and Tourin House to name but a few.
The seminar begins at 9.00 a.m with a welcoming address by Orla Russell, Mayor of Lismore Town Council.
At 9.10 a.m William Fraher museum curator will give a talk on County Houses of West Waterford, their history, architecture and demesnes.
Other talks during the day include:
The NIAH and Historic Garden and Designed Landscape Survey. Willie Cumming.
Curraghmore House and Demesne -An Overview. Lord Waterford
The Sustainability of the Country House in Ireland. Colm Murray
Demesne Landscapes in the broader Cultural Heritage Context. Louise Harrington
The Great Garden Trail. Kristin Jameson
A tour of Lismore Castle Gardens and Gallery will take place at 2.30 p.m and the seminar will close at 4.00 p.m.
There is no charge for the seminar, places are limited so booking is essential.
The seminar begins at 9.00 a.m with a welcoming address by Orla Russell, Mayor of Lismore Town Council.
At 9.10 a.m William Fraher museum curator will give a talk on County Houses of West Waterford, their history, architecture and demesnes.
Other talks during the day include:
The NIAH and Historic Garden and Designed Landscape Survey. Willie Cumming.
Curraghmore House and Demesne -An Overview. Lord Waterford
The Sustainability of the Country House in Ireland. Colm Murray
Demesne Landscapes in the broader Cultural Heritage Context. Louise Harrington
The Great Garden Trail. Kristin Jameson
A tour of Lismore Castle Gardens and Gallery will take place at 2.30 p.m and the seminar will close at 4.00 p.m.
There is no charge for the seminar, places are limited so booking is essential.
Thanks For All Your Help
We enjoyed a fantastic night in the Town Hall Theatre on Wednesday 8th September. Well over two hundred people turned up for the museum's fund-raising variety night. A great night was had by all and we raised well over 2000 Euro that will go towards preserving Waterford history. You can view photos of the show on Eddie Cantwell's Facebook page.
As most of you are aware the museum is a voluntary body, without support form the public it would not be possible for us to do our work. It was really gratifying the support we got from so many locals, local organisations and companies. So thanks is due to all of the following:
Behind the scenes we had support for Seán Organ, Ian Noctor, Value Centre, Dirk Baumann of DBL Lighting, Dungarvan Brewing Company (great people, great beer :) ), Dungarvan Town Council and Joe Flaherty.
Thanks to all the committee members who gave up their time particularly our canteen workers Helen Moynihan, Emma, Niamh and Mary Giblin (for her excellent apple tart and cake).
Lastly, and most importantly, congratulations to the man who organised the event Eddie Cantwell, it is a mark of the man that when I forgot to thank him publicly at the end of the night he only laughed at it.
As most of you are aware the museum is a voluntary body, without support form the public it would not be possible for us to do our work. It was really gratifying the support we got from so many locals, local organisations and companies. So thanks is due to all of the following:
- Comeraghs Comhaltas Cúil Cheoil
- Kevin Evans
- Julian Walton
- Seán Ó Donnell
- Declan Terry
- Joe Power
- Liam Lynch
- Dan Shanahan
- Sean Fitzgerald And Company
- Bachelors In Trouble
Behind the scenes we had support for Seán Organ, Ian Noctor, Value Centre, Dirk Baumann of DBL Lighting, Dungarvan Brewing Company (great people, great beer :) ), Dungarvan Town Council and Joe Flaherty.
Thanks to all the committee members who gave up their time particularly our canteen workers Helen Moynihan, Emma, Niamh and Mary Giblin (for her excellent apple tart and cake).
Lastly, and most importantly, congratulations to the man who organised the event Eddie Cantwell, it is a mark of the man that when I forgot to thank him publicly at the end of the night he only laughed at it.
New Conservation Lighting And Portable Display Cases Installed
Waterford County Museum has recently installed conservation standard lighting and taken delivery of 5 new portable temporary exhibition cases. The total cost of the improvements was in the region of €8500. Waterford Leader Partnership gave us 3/4 of that in grant aid. The rest we raised ourselves. This short video shows you the cases and the lights and gives you an insight into what we are trying to do. It is quite a step forward for us technically. It is great achievement for a community group to be running a museum in such a professional manner. Hopefully we will continue to 'demand the impossible' from ourselves for many more years to come.
Heritage Week At The Museum
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| A Group Of People Outside The Devonshire Hotel, Dungarvan Circa 1900 |
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| Power's Bakery Staff Outside The Premises At O'Connell Street, Dungarvan 1930 |
Dungarvan Ramblers - The First Cycle Club in Ireland
| The Dungarvan Ramblers Cycling Club |
On the 28th and 29th August 2010 the Sean Kelly Tour of Co. Waterford will take place. Dungarvan has an important place in the annals of Irish cycling history. Cyclists partaking in the tour are welcome to visit the museum free of charge to see the historic cup from the first bicycle race held in Ireland or the United Kingdom which is now on view in the museum. The museum is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and in Summer we open on Saturday's from 2pm to 5pm. Admission is free.
The Dungarvan Rambler's Cycling Club was founded in 1869 by Richard Edward Brenan (1846-1917). He was the Postmaster based in Grattan Square, he was also a printer and bookseller. Other hobbies included local history and photography and many of his glass plates are now in the Museum's photographic collection.
The Cyclist's Guide to the South East published in 1903 had the following observation:
'In the Co of Waterford we claim the oldest cycling club in Ireland - The Dungarvan Ramblers C.C., started in 1869. In that year the first cycle race for a challenge cup held in this or any other country, was run under the auspices of the club, and it was won by Mr R. Edward Brenan, the present Postmaster of Dungarvan, who is as proud of the Trophy as if it were a collar of gold.'
The cup was lost for many years until rediscovered in 1984 by Father Columba O'Donnell O.S.A. at the Augustinian house in Main Street and they kindly donated it to the Museum. The cup has the following inscriptions:
- Four Mile Bicycle race at Dungarvan, September 1869 Winner - Richard Edward Brenan
- Mr R.E. Brenan, winner of the Four Mile Bicycle races at Dungarvan 19 September 1870 and 5 September 1871
'The Rambler's Cycling Club, the oldest in the Kingdom, is in full swing once more. We hope the club will organise a sports carnival this year. Our old friend Mr R. E. Brenan, is the oldest cyclist in Ireland, not the oldest in point of years, but the oldest in cycling experience. He began his riding in 1867 on a boneshaker and actually won the first race ever run for a valuable cup, which is still to be seen in his splendid library. He is still an ardent cyclist, and every member of his family enjoys the invigorating pastime.'
In 1901 Brenan wrote to The Leader magazine about their claim that there were no Irish manufactured bicycles before 1900:
'This is incorrect, as I have in my bicycle stable an old wooden wheeled bicycle built by Neale of Dublin, fully 30 years ago. I think afterwards, as most clever Irishmen have done, emigrated. I regret to say that in the 34 years of cycling this has been the only bicycle of Irish manufacture that I have possessed ... I hope yet to ride an Irish cycle.'
Why The Horrible Histories DVD Is So Important
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| One Of The Stars Of Horrible Histories |
One of the greatest challenges faced by any local history organisation is regenerating itself with 'new members'. At Waterford County Museum we have chosen to expend quite a bit of our members time and scarce museum resources on children's events. At some point it is hoped that these kids will be the museum members and community activists of the future. If we can give a few of them an interest or enthusiasm for Waterford history they will become the standard bearers for their community's heritage.
My opinion is that a passion for history is something that one normally picks up early in life. Even if you drift from your early enthusiasm as 'life gets in the way' you can always rekindle the love affair in later life. My own interest in history came about when a friend of my father gave me an encyclopedia about World War 2 and was further enhanced by reading large quantities of Commando, Warlord and Battle comics as a child.
Anything that can get kids interested in history has got to be a good thing. My 5 year old daughter has recently developed a passion for the Horrible Histories™ TV series. All 13 episodes of the first series are now available on DVD at a low price from Amazon.co.uk and from Amazon.com
The series is described as 'History with the nasty bits left in! Based on the best-selling series of books for kids (and for adults, but they just won’t admit it), Horrible Histories is an anarchic, surprising and unconventional take on history’s most gruesome and funny moments.'
This DVD is produced by the BBC and is not to be confused with the cartoon series also based on the Horrible Histories™. These DVDs are not on a par with the BBC production.
Some of the humour is ribald and fake gore abounds but as a primer to spark an interest in history I don't think you could do better. The only caveat I would place on the purchase is that it is very Anglocentric, for an Irish audience this won't be so much of a problem but for other countries some of the history may be unfamiliar.
Link: Horrible Histories YouTube Channel
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