in the lampshades, both making that connection. Te room now breathes and the seamless wall furniture highlights the exquisite original Victorian coving and wall treatments. Te floor is decorated with chevrons a la Newgrange of County Meath. On this floor is where the Storytelling Quilt will unfold for stories of all ages. Beryl combined 1,000 years of high art from Ireland’s Golden Age to create a work of rare beauty for children to sit upon and learn through stories of the past. Terein lies a certain feeling of aptness, a fine de siecle of sorts.
Lorraine and Siobhan have succeeded in stripping away any preconceived notions of “stuffiness” linked with museums. Part of this owes to the Learning Resource room having a literally hands-on exhibition where the visitors can handle full-sized replicas of artifacts instead of peering through a looking glass. Tat, and the Storytelling Quilt where many a thread of a story was followed.
Children’s Programmes
The primary school programme of the museum includes these sessions: • Explore a Viking Chest Workshop– investigating the contents of a Viking chest
• Make a Prehistoric Pot Workshop– make a replica pot to take home!
The secondary school programme includes these sessions: • Printmaking Workshop– create a dry-point etching and print to take home!
• Lords and ladies Workshop– discover power dressing in the Middle Ages!
• History of Art Tour– trace the history of Irish art from Stone Age to 12th Century AD A menu of tours, workshops and events available to primary and secondary schools is extensive and available at the website,