Béal na Bláth – The local story

 

As the Decade of Centenaries enters its later stage, the manner in which the  heritage sector, communities, schools, the arts sector and, both local and national government have handled the period of commemoration has been commendable; ensuring that their dictum “appropriately, proportionately, respectfully and with sensitivity” has been adhered to. We in the Independence Museum Kilmurry have benefitted from the efforts and support of other cultural bodies, historians and local heritage offices. The locals, wider public and tourists have been a great support and encouragement in all our efforts to commemorate the key events on the arduous path to Independence. Our museum’s key publications and exhibitions have all adhered to the key objectives as envisaged by the Decade of Centenaries programme, while remaining faithful to our own tagline, “See Ireland’s History Through A Local Lens”.

 

Commemorating the Civil War should be no different despite the difficulties and particular sensitivities raised. The Centenary Commemoration of Michael Collins’ death at Béal na Bláth was always going to be a key component of the commemoration of the Civil War. 

 

No different to the other commemorations locally of the 1916 Rising (commemorating the assembly of local volunteers and those of companies from Cork City, East Cork, South Cork, and the Bandon and Kinsale districts in Kilmurry on Easter Sunday 1916)  and the War of Independence (The Lissarda Ambush, Cork 1920 Hunger Strike, Terence MacSwiney’s death on hunger strike in Brixton, etc.,) we will reflect on the Béal na Bláth Ambush by exploring “the local story”.

 

Our Béal na Bláth  – The local story Exhibition will focus on :

• Commander-in-Chief Michael Collins’ journey through Cork on the day
• Map of the ambush site
• The anti-Treaty IRA personnel involved in the ambush
• The National Army convoy personnel
• The local safehouses where the Officers of the Southern Division of the anti-Treaty IRA were accommodated 
• Commemorating the local anti-Treaty Volunteers killed that July in the Battle of  Limerick.    

The Exhibition will be accompanied by a display of artifacts particular to the local details of the ambush.

This Exhibition  has been kindly funded by Cork County Council  under the

County Cork Commemorations Grant Scheme 2022

 

The County Cork Commemorations Grant Scheme is part-funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries Programme 2012-2023.

 

COUNTY CORK COMMEMORATIONS GRANT SCHEME 2022

                                                                                                                                                               

 

 

 

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Object Of The Month October

Lawrence Telegram newspaper coverage of Terence MacSwiney Hunger Strike

 

Lawrence Telegram (Lawrence , Massachusetts) Newspapers

 

 

Lawrence Telegram Newspaper 23-10-1920

Lawrence Telegram Newspaper 25-10-1920

Lawrence Telegram Newspaper 26-10-1920

Lawrence Telegram Newspaper 27-10-1920

 

 

Cork Lord Mayor Terence MacSwiney’s Hunger Strike 12th of August 1920 – 25th October 1920
 

After 74 days since he began his hunger strike on the day of his arrest in Cork City Hall Lord Mayor Terence MacSwiney died on hunger strike in Brixton Prison, London on the 25th October 1920.

 

LORD MAYOR MacSWINEY DEAD

 

These are the original Lawrence Telegram (Lawrence , Massachusetts)  newspapers whose coverage, not unlike many newspapers the world over 100 years ago, kept the public informed daily on the tragic saga of the Lord Mayor of Cork Terence MacSwiney’s hunger strike. Note how the coverage continued even after the death of the Lord Mayor.

Lawrence Telegram (Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA) showing the daily almost vigil-like reporting with which the world media followed the Lord Mayor’s struggle during his hunger strike in Brixton Prison.

 

Lawrence Telegram (Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA) showing the daily almost vigil-like reporting with which the world media followed the Lord Mayor’s struggle during his hunger strike and eventual death in Brixton Prison.

 

Lawrence Telegram (Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA) showing the daily almost vigil-like reporting with which the world media followed the Lord Mayor’s struggle during his hunger strike and eventual death in Brixton Prison as well as the aftermath.

 

Lawrence Telegram (Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA) showing the daily almost vigil-like reporting with which the world media followed the Lord Mayor’s struggle during his hunger strike and eventual death in Brixton Prison as well as the aftermath. Note also the reference here (“Friends of Irish Freedom- ATTENTION”) to the Cork deaths, also on hunger strike, of Michael Fitzgerald and Joseph Murphy.

 

These newspapers were very kindly donated to the Museum in 2019 and were centerpiece in the January 2020 launch of the Cork Decade of Centenaries Programme 2020 by the then Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan in the City Hall Cork.    RTE NEWS January 2020 coverage

 

Thanks to a grant from the Heritage Council and Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage these newspapers recently underwent preservation and conservation in MUCROS BOOKBINDERY AND PAPER CONSERVATION WORKSHOP,  Mucros Craft Centre, Muckross House, Killarney, Co. Kerry, Ireland.

 

 

 

 

Independence Museum Kilmurry Archive Digitisation Project 2021         

 

 

 

Independence Museum Kilmurry are delighted to announce the release of a digital presentation, comprising our main collection dealing with one community’s experience from the Great Famine, through revolution, and on to independence. This release comprises approximately 1/3 of our extensive collection and will showcase our current museum collection as well as our archive; many of these artefacts are available here for the first time and thus make them easily accessible to citizens, students, national and international scholars, and historians.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Substantial funding has been generously granted from the Heritage Council, for resources, under their Community Heritage Grant Scheme for 2021.

 

The digital archive will be standardised according to international museum standards as part of the National Museum of Ireland’s aim “to encourage communities across the country to document and digitally safeguard the irreplaceable artefacts of their local heritage.” 

 

While nothing can recreate the unique experience of the physical proximity to history and heritage that an actual visit to a museum offers, the digital aspect allows for the wider presentation, perusal and protection of documents and artefacts that would not otherwise be possible. The digital presentation will also allow a wider and more inclusive audience to browse or indeed search and engage with our archive.

 

Independence Museum Kilmurry 

October 2021

This project has been funded by The Heritage Council @HeritageHubIRE