Museum of Country Life, Castlebar - Activities Oct-Dec 2003

mayo | arts and media | press release Thursday September 18, 2003 16:15 by Curation Once Again educationtph at museum dot ie Museum of Country Life, Turlough House, Castlebar 094 90 31751

Country Culture In Castlebar

This is a list of the activities being held in the Museum of Country Life, Turlough House, Castlebar from October - December 2003

How to Book

For further information or to make a booking for any of our events contact the Education and Outreach Department.

Telephone 094 90 31751
01 6486 304
Fax 094 90 31498
Email educationtph@museum.ie
Booking Office Hours Monday to Friday
10.00am – 2.00pm

This is a list of the activities being held in the Museum of Country Life, Turlough House, Castlebar from October - December 2003

Sunday Afternoon Events
Every Sunday @ 2.30pm

Enjoy a family day out at the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life!
All our Sunday events are suitable for all ages over eight years old. Places are limited so book early. Materials supplied.

Sunday 5th October
2.30pm
Craft Demonstration
Rushwork Baskets
Irish Basket Making Traditions Today, a temporary exhibition of contemporary baskets runs in the Museum from 23rd September until 11th January. Join Marie Crean from Fethard, Co. Tipperary as she demonstrates the techniques of making baskets using rushes.

Sunday 12th October
2.30pm
Traditional Skills Demonstration
Blue and green should never be seen!
Watch June Bourke using heather and other countryside plants and flowers to create colours for dying cloth.

Sunday 19th October
2.30pm
Talk
Farming in the Calendar year
As winter draws in, the farmer worked to harvest the last of the year’s crops. Join Klaus Laitenberger, Head Gardener at Ross Inver Organic Farming Centre, to hear about keeping and storing food through the winter and about growing organic food.

Sunday 26th October
2.30pm
Hallowe’en Party
Bite for apples, Dip for money, Seek your fortune!
Come along and hear all about the festival of Samhain and then join in the fun and games with Vivian Lynn.

Sunday 2nd November
2.30pm
Music and Storytelling Performance
John Campbell and Len Graham
By November the harvest had been collected. People settled in by the fireside on long winter nights and provided their own entertainment, which often centred around songs and stories. Take the opportunity to be entertained by two of Ireland’s premier exponents of the art of traditional singing and storytelling.

Sunday 9th November
2.30pm
Talk
A Samhain Sacrifice.
The 11th of November is Martinmas Day, the feast day of St Martin.
Joe McGowan, author of “Echoes of a Savage Land” explains the tradition of Martinmas Day and unfolds Hallowe’en stories of the Un-dead in Irish folklore.

Sunday 16th November
2.30pm
‘Science’ Tour National Science Week 9th to16th November
Behind the Glass Case
Why does a museum look like it does? Come on our ‘science’ tour with Brendan McDonnell and find out how and why the buildings and exhibition cases are designed to protect the museum objects.

Sunday 23rd November
2.30pm
Talk and Demonstration
Saddle and Harness Making
The Saddler’s shop was an important social centre in pre-motorised days when the horse was the fastest thing on the road. During the winter months after the long farming season, the Saddler was busy with repairs. Harness maker and Saddler Rob Steinke explains and demonstrates his craft.

Sunday 30th November
2.30pm
Talk
Booleying; The practice of livestock migration
The practice of booleying continued in Achill into the 20th Century. This is the movement of cattle from a permanent lowland settlement to summer pasture, frequently in the mountains. James Kilbane tells us about the case study of the Achill Civil Parish.

Sunday 7th December
2.30pm
Craft Demonstration.
101 Uses of Straw!
The Wren, the Wren, the King of All Birds, on St. Stephen's Day it was caught in the furze. Up with the kettle and down with the pan, give me a penny to bury the Wren.
Watch Ted Kelly weaving straw to make a Wren Boy’s Hat.

Sunday 14th December
2.30pm
Art Workshop
Christmas is Coming and the Geese are Getting Fat…
Make your Christmas cards and decorations using the Museum’s collections as your inspiration. With artist Agnes Nyland.

Sunday 21st December
2.30pm
Music Performance
Carol Singing
Enjoy traditional Christmas carols with the Foxford National School band.

Sunday 28th December
2.30pm
Film
The Quiet Man
Academy Award Winner and nominated Best Picture 1952. Directed by John Ford, staring John Wayne and Maureen O Hara. This is a story of a retired prizefighter who returns to his ancestral village in rural Ireland looking for a quiet life but doesn’t find it!

Sunday 4th January
2.30pm
Theatrical Performance
The Mummer’s Play
The Aughakillymaude Community Mummers from Co. Fermanagh bring to life characters such as St. Patrick, Beelzebub, Oliver Cromwell and many more in this traditional Mummer’s play.

The Sunday events programme is free of charge.
Advance booking is advisable for demonstrations and workshops.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday Afternoon Events

Our Wednesday events are suitable for adults and for children over eight years old. Booking is advisable. Materials supplied

Wednesday 1st October
2.30pm
Craft Demonstration
Willow Baskets
Irish Basket Making Traditions Today, a temporary exhibition of contemporary baskets runs in the Museum from 23rd September until 11th January. Join Basket maker Michael Joyce from Clifden, Co. Galway as he weaves traditional baskets from willow.

Wednesday 8th October
2.30pm
Beekeeping Presentation.
As Busy as a Bee!
Meet bee keeper Matt Moran and see the queen bee, her drones and all her worker bees making honey.

Wednesday 15th October
2.30pm
Craft Demonstration
Willow Baskets
Irish Basket Making Traditions Today, a temporary exhibition of contemporary baskets runs in the Museum from 23rd September until 11th January. Join Gráinne Uí Mhaitiú of Blessington, Co. Wicklow as she weaves baskets and carries on the traditional craft of the Shanahan family.

Wednesday 22nd October
2.30pm
Art Workshop
Watch out for the Púca!
Prepare for the Hallowe’en party. Curator Clodagh Doyle tells us about the tradition of Hallowe’en. Then make your own spooky mask and costume to celebrate this festival with Tom Doyle of the Education and Outreach Department.

Wednesday 29th October
2.30pm
Storytelling Performance
Michael Mullen
By this time of year the harvest had been collected. People settled in by the fireside on long winter nights and provided their own entertainment, which often centred around songs and stories. Join local author and storyteller Michael Mullen.

Wednesday 5th November
2.30pm
Talk and Tour
Irish Basket Making Traditions Today, a temporary exhibition of contemporary baskets runs in the Museum from 23rd September until 11th January. Join curator Rosa Meehan as she takes you on a tour of this new temporary exhibition and the museum’s collection of baskets on display.

Wednesday 12th November
2.30pm
Talk & Tour National Science Week 9th to16th November
From stones to bones - 12 billion years in an hour!
Join Ivor Harkin, Geologist, from the National Museum of Ireland - Natural History, Dublin as he talks about the Geology of Ireland - An investigation of the riches of minerals and fossils in the local area.

Wednesday 19th November
2.30pm
Demonstration and Talk
Pickle your Herrings, Salt your meat and be sure of plenty to eat!
Join Jean Beattie to hear about the importance of preserving the harvest fare for the lean winter months ahead and watch her demonstrate some of the traditional methods.

Wednesday 26th November
2.30pm
Talk and Demonstration
Saddle and Harness Making
The Saddler’s shop was an important social centre in pre-motorised days when the horse was the fastest thing on the road. During the winter months after the long farming season, the Saddler was busy with repairs. Harness maker and Saddler Rob Steinke explains and demonstrates his craft.

Wednesday 3rd December
2.30pm
Craft Demonstration
Help make willow Christmas wreaths with Carol Smith.

Wednesday 10th December
2.30pm
Art Workshop
Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly!
Make your own Christmas decorations with Vivian Lynn and Brendan Mc Donnell of the Education and Outreach Department

Wednesday 17th December
2.30pm
Music performance
Be entertained with dance and song by members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann from St. Angela’s National School, Castlebar.

Wednesday 24th December
2.30pm
There will be no Workshop on this day.

Wednesday 31st December
2.30pm
Film
The Quiet Man
Academy Award Winner and nominated Best Picture 1952. Directed by John Ford, staring John Wayne and Maureen O Hara. This is a story of a retired prizefighter who returns to his ancestral village in rural Ireland looking for a quiet life but doesn’t find it!

The Wednesday events programme is free of charge.
Advance booking is advisable for demonstrations and workshops.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Irish Basket Making: Traditions Today”
a temporary exhibition of work by contemporary basket makers
Tuesday 23rd September 2003 to Sunday 11th January 2004.

The National Museum of Ireland Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo will host a major exhibition of contemporary Irish baskets. Organised in association with the Crafts Council of Ireland, the “Irish Basket Making: Traditions Today” exhibition will run from 23 September 2003 to 11 January 2004 in the Museum’s Temporary Exhibition Galleries.

This striking exhibition, which first opened in the National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, will present visitors with a unique opportunity to celebrate Irish basket making and to view the work of 30 contemporary basket makers from all over Ireland. Every basket in the exhibition is hand woven and of excellent quality, and demonstrates each basketmaker’s high levels of skilled craftsmanship.

The exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life will offer the visitor the opportunity to appreciate the modern developments in the craft within the context of the many traditional baskets in the Museum’s permanent exhibition.

Admission Free.
Opening times:
Tuesday-Sunday: 10am-5pm;
Sunday: 2-5. Closed Mondays.
Further information please contact
the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Turlough
Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo

Tel: (094) 90 31756
Fax: (094) 90 31628
Email: tpark@museum.ie


In conjunction with this exhibition, the museum has scheduled a number of practical courses and talks on Fridays in October and November.

Friday 10th October, 10.00am to 5.00pm
One Day Course: Willow Baskets
Joe Hogan, Co. Galway

Friday 17th October, 10.00am to 5.00pm
One Day Course: Straw Baskets
Ted Kelly, Co. Sligo

Friday 7th November, 10.00am to 5.00pm
One Day Course: Willow Baskets
Linda Scott, Co. Mayo

Friday 14th November
2.30pm (1 hour talk)
Talk: The conservation of straw and wicker.
Aimed at those with a specialist interest, for example, craftspeople.
Join Jo Willey, freelance conservator, for a talk on the conservation of straw and wicker objects in the Conservation Laboratory, National National Museum of Ireland - Country Life.

Friday 21st November, 2.00am to 5.00pm
Half Day Course: Rush Baskets
Patricia O’Flaherty, Co. Roscommon

These events are free of charge. All materials are supplied for courses.
Please note there is a strict limit on numbers for all these events.

For further information contact the Education & Outreach Department.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
What’s On. Special events for 2003

House Building Project

Between Tuesday July 22nd and Saturday August 23rd wattle weaver Joe Gowran, thatcher Brian Rogers and friends undertook a building skills project at the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life.

This was a rare opportunity to see skilled craftspeople demonstrate and explain the variety of materials, tools and techniques that were used at different times in building traditional houses in Ireland. The project aimed to draw attention to the Museum exhibitions that deal with vernacular architecture, to increase awareness of the traditional materials and skills used and to explore their relevance today.

The structure is biodegradable and is made from the sustainable, managed and renewable natural resources of wood, earth, stone and straw, locally produced, as was the case for many thousands of years in the vernacular dwellings of our ancestors. The completed structure can now be viewed in the grounds of Turlough Park House.

Why not book a tour with the Education and Outreach Department to have this project and the resulting building explained.

For further information contact the Education & Outreach Department.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Special Events in October

Hallowe’en at the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life

Baking Competition - Hallowe’en barmbrack

To enter, send us your recipe for making traditional Hallowe’en barmbrack along with a list of the various tokens you include and the predictions for the coming year.
eg. A ring …. for a bride to be.

Then, bake your barmbrack and bring it along to a special afternoon tea event at the National National Museum of Ireland - Country Life on Saturday 25th October.

Rules of the Competition

There is no upper or lower age limit for the competition.

Entries should include
o A recipe and instructions for baking the barmbrack.
o Details of ‘tokens’ and their meanings.
o A short description of where the recipe came from.
o Full details of the name, address and contact number of the entrant.

Closing date for entries is Monday 20th of October. Entries may be posted or handed in to any of the museum buildings marking them for the attention of the Education and Outreach Department, National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Turlough Park House, Castlebar, Co. Mayo. Please do not send barmbracks to the museum.

Entrants will be invited to bake a brack and bring along their home-made barmbrack to a special afternoon tea event and prize-giving at the museum on Saturday 25th October.


Hallowe’en Party workshops
Tuesday 21st – Friday 31st October
Get ready for Hallowe’en. Make your own Hallowe’en costumes, masks and more in our Hallowe’en workshops.

Stories and Music at Hallowe’en
Tuesday 28th October and Wednesday 29th October
Following the success of our storytelling sessions last year, Donegal storyteller Gearóidín Breathnach and local author and storyteller Micheal Mullen invite you to pull up a chair and enjoy the art of storytelling

For further information regarding special events in October and to make a booking contact the Education and Outreach Department.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Special Events in November

Music and Storytelling Performance
John Campbell and Len Graham
Saturday 1st November
9.00pm
Venue: The Round Tower, Turlough Village
By November the harvest had been collected. People settled in by the fireside on long winter nights and provided their own entertainment, which often centred around songs and stories. Take the opportunity to be entertained by two of Ireland’s premier exponents of the art of traditional singing and storytelling.


Science at the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life!
Sunday 9th to Sunday 16th November is National Science Week.
Come to the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life for a range of science based activities.

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday, Friday, 11.00am
Nature Walk. Winter Magic! (8+) Curriculum Strand: Living things
Join Lorna Elms for a winter nature ramble. Discover how to identify trees without their leaves and find out how winter affects woodland plants and animals and why.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday 11.00am
‘Science’ Tour. Behind the Glass Case. Suitable for upper primary.
Why does a museum look like it does? Come on our ‘science’ tour and find out how and why the buildings and exhibition cases are designed to protect the museum objects.

Tuesday, Wednesday, 11.00am
Hands-on Conservation workshop for kids (7+)
Find out what hidden features conservation can uncover. Try your hand at reading x-rays, repairing pottery, removing layers of paint and more! With National Museum Conservator Carol Smith.

Wednesday 12th November, 2.30pm
Talk & Tour
From stones to bones - 12 billion years in an hour!
Join Ivor Harkin, Geologist, from the National Museum of Ireland - Natural History, Dublin as he talks about the Geology of Ireland - An investigation of the riches of minerals and fossils in the local area.

Friday 14th November, 2.30pm (1 hour talk)
Talk: The conservation of straw and wicker.
Aimed at those with a specialist interest for example, craftspeople.
Join Jo Willey, freelance conservator, for a talk on the conservation of straw and wicker objects in the Conservation Laboratory, National National Museum of Ireland - Country Life.

Sunday, 2.30pm
‘Science’ Tour. Behind the Glass Case.
Why does a museum look like it does? Come on our ‘science’ tour and find out how and why the buildings and exhibition cases are designed to protect the museum objects.

Plus new workshops and activities for Science Week for upper and lower primary focussing on Curriculum Strand ‘Materials’; units ‘Properties and Characteristics’ and ‘Materials and Change’.

For further information regarding special events in November and to make a booking contact the Education and Outreach Department.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Events in December

Christmas at the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life

Tuesday 9th to Friday 12th December
Get ready for Christmas
Make your own Christmas Decorations, Cards and more in our Christmas workshops.

For further information regarding special events in December and to make a booking contact the Education and Outreach Department.


Find out more about

The Saturday Club
Find out more about what happens in YOUR museum by taking part in one of our Saturday Clubs.

The Saturday Club takes place on Saturday mornings from 10.00am to 12.00 am at Turlough Park. The club is made up of a series of individual clubs each focussing on different themes.

The next club “A Day in the Life! Could you be a Craftsperson?” begins Saturday November 1st 2003.

The Saturday Club is free and all materials are provided. Each club is limited to 15 places

To find out more about the club and to join the Saturday Club contact the Education and Outreach Department

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What’s On. Ongoing activities.

Our programme of guided tours continues with a guided tour weekdays at 12.00 and weekends at 3.30pm. Additional tours are also available at peak times. Tours and activities can also be arranged in advance through the bookings office.

Basketmaking, weaving, spinning, calendar activities and lots more…
Contact the Education and Outreach Department to find out more about our craft demonstrations and workshops or any of our on-going workshops, which can be specially arranged in advance for your group.

Young and Old come out to play………

Fancy a game of Hopscotch? Do you remember how to play Queenie – I – O?

A range of traditional games are available for you to borrow during your visit to the Museum. Full instructions are available with the games.

Ask for details at Reception or phone us to arrange a games workshop with one of the Education Department staff.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
How to Book

For further information or to make a booking for any of our events contact the Education and Outreach Department.

Telephone 094 90 31751
01 6486 304
Fax 094 90 31498
Email educationtph@museum.ie
Booking Office Hours Monday to Friday
10.00am – 2.00pm