Cavan County Museum ( ga, Músaem Chontae an Chabháin) is a museum dedicated to the history of
County Cavan
County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) 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 Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is base ...
. 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, Henrie ...
.
History
The museum was established in 1996, and is housed in a 19th-century former convent of the
Poor Clare
The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...
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 Killycluggin Stone is a decorated stone, found near the town of Killycluggin, County Cavan, in Ireland. Roughly cone-shaped and covered in Iron Age La Tène designs, it was discovered broken in several pieces, partly buried close to a Bronze ...
, the
Lavey Sheela na gig, 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
William Percy French (1 May 1854 – 24 January 1920) was an Irish songwriter, author, poet, entertainer and painter.
Life
French was born at Clooneyquinn House, near Tulsk, County Roscommon, the son of an Anglo-Irish landlord, Christopher F ...
. 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 ( ga, Art Seosamh Ó Gríobhtha; 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 prod ...
.
The exhibitions feature a replica
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
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 regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of the 87th (Prince of Wales's Irish) Regiment of Foot and the 89th (Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot in ...
. 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 ( ga, Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann) 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 thre ...
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