The National Maritime Museum of Ireland ( ga, Músaem Mhuirí Náisiúnta na hÉireann) opened in 1978 in the former

Mariners' Church Mariners' Church of Detroit is a church with worship services adhering to Anglican liturgical traditions located at 170 East Jefferson Avenue in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was founded in 1842 as a special mission to the maritime travelers of ...

in Moran Park, located between the seafront and the centre of

Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built following the 1816 legislation that allowed the building of a major port to serve Dubli ...

town, southeast of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

city. President

Michael D. Higgins Michael Daniel Higgins ( ga, Mícheál Dónal Ó hUigínn; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, sociologist, and broadcaster, who has served as the ninth president of Ireland since November 2011. Entering national politics throug ...

officially re-opened the museum in 2012.

History

The church was built in 1837 for seafarers and remained open until 1971. In 1974 the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

and the Maritime Institute of Ireland signed an agreement that led to the museum's opening. In 2006 substantial funding was authorised by the Government for capital expenditure to cover the cost of the refurbishment, however this funding has since ceased, and the museum is now dependent upon door receipts, fund raising events and donations. It is operated by volunteers and a community employment scheme provided by the

Department of Social Protection The Department of Social Protection ( ga, An Roinn Cosanta Sóisialta) is a department of the Government of Ireland, tasked with administering Ireland's social welfare system. It oversees the provision of income support and other social service ...

. In July 2011 two stained-glass windows by artist Peadar Lamb were installed in the former church, sponsored by the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company. It reopened on 5 June 2012.

Exhibits

* The Irish Lights: this exhibit is dominated by the Baily Optic from the Baily Lighthouse on

Howth Head Howth Head ( ; ''Ceann Bhinn Éadair'' in Irish) is a peninsula northeast of the city of Dublin in Ireland, within the governance of Fingal County Council. Entry to the headland is at Sutton while the village of Howth and the harbour are on t ...

, which was in use from 1902 to 1972. It includes some inventions of

John Richardson Wigham :''This article concerns the Irish-based inventor and lighthouse engineer, not his cousin the shipbuilder John Wigham Richardson''. John Richardson Wigham (15 January 1829 – 16 November 1906) was a prominent lighthouse engineer of the 19th cen ...

. * The ''Great Eastern'' display: a history of the (designed by

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel (; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was a British civil engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history," "one of the 19th-century engineering giants," and "one ...

) including items belonging to its captain

Robert Halpin Robert Charles Halpin , Master Mariner, born 16 February 1836 at the Bridge Tavern Wicklow, Ireland, died 20 January 1894 at ''Tinakilly'', Wicklow. He captained the Brunel-designed steamship SS ''Great Eastern'' which laid transoceanic telegra ...

and a

clockwork Clockwork refers to the inner workings of either mechanical devices called clocks and watches (where it is also called the movement) or other mechanisms that work similarly, using a series of gears driven by a spring or weight. A clockwork mec ...

model of the ship. National Maritime Museum of Ireland (7479353066)

* Artefacts recovered from the wreck of the RMS ''Leinster'' and some contemporary accounts of the event. It was torpedoed in 1918 off the Kish lighthouse, within sight of Dún Laoghaire. Over 500 people were drowned. There are mirror-backed half-

models A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

of the

City of Dublin Steam Packet Company The City of Dublin Steam Packet Company was a shipping line established in 1823. It served cross-channel routes between Britain and Ireland for over a century. For 70 of those years it transported the mail. It was 'wound-up' by a select commit ...

's ships: , , and RMS ''Connaught''. * St Columba's Chapel: this area remembers Irish ships during World War II. There is a collection of paintings by Kenneth King and the bullet-holed flag of the . The Mariners Church building is also a major attraction.

References

External links

*
Maritime Institute of Ireland
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Maritime Museum Of Ireland Buildings and structures in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown History museums in the Republic of Ireland Museums in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown Maritime history of Ireland Museums established in 1978 National museums of the Republic of Ireland Maritime museums in the Republic of Ireland