Cavan County Museum () is a museum dedicated to the history of
County Cavan
County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...
. The museum is housed in the former Convent of St Clare in
Ballyjamesduff
Ballyjamesduff () is a town in County Cavan, Ireland. A former market town, it was the winner of the 1966 and 1967 Irish Tidy Towns Competition.
History
The first mention of Ballyjamesduff is found in The Registry of Deeds, Kings Inns, Henriett ...
.
History
The museum was established in 1996, and is housed in a 19th-century former convent of the
Poor Clare nuns.
The museum was established to collect, conserve and display the material heritage and culture of County Cavan, over its 6000-year history, for the benefit of the people.
Contents
The former convent building comprises the exhibition spaces and gardens.
The collections range from prehistoric to modern objects, including the
Killycluggin Stone, the
Lavey Sheela na gig
A sheela na gig is a figurative carving of a naked woman displaying an exaggerated Human vulva, vulva. These carvings, from the Middle Ages, are Grotesque (architecture), architectural grotesques found throughout most of Europe on Architecture ...
, costumes in the Pighouse Collection, and
GAA paraphernalia. Other exhibitions cover the
Great Famine in the county, as well as renowned local singer,
Percy French. In relation to the convent building the museum occupies, there is also an exhibition dedicated to the Poor Clares.
A more recent object to be put on display is the personal revolver of local politician
Arthur Griffith
Arthur Joseph Griffith (; 31 March 1871 – 12 August 1922) was an Irish writer, newspaper editor and politician who founded the political party Sinn Féin. He led the Irish delegation at the negotiations that produced the 1921 Anglo-Irish Trea ...
.
The exhibitions feature a replica
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
trench, built to the original specifications as used by the
Royal Irish Fusiliers
The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) was an Irish line infantry (later changed to light infantry) regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of the 87th (Prince of Wales's Irish) Regiment of Foot and the 89th (Princess ...
. The museum has worked in collaboration with the
Fermanagh County Museum through the "Connecting People, Places and Heritage Project".
The temporary gallery of the museum hosts exhibitions of local and national artists.
The museum is designated by the
National Museum of Ireland
The National Museum of Ireland () is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has three branches in Dublin, the arch ...
to collect archaeological finds.
References
External links
Discover IrelandEntry for the Museum building in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
{{Coord, 53.8652830, N, 7.2035980, W, type:landmark_region:IE, display=title
Buildings and structures in County Cavan
History of County Cavan
Local museums in the Republic of Ireland
Museums established in 1996
1996 establishments in Ireland
Ballyjamesduff