Rory's Strat gets first public outing
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Handkerchief with a border of Youghal needlepoint lace by Youghal Cooperative Lace Society circa 1912.Image 2 of 5
Lace sample for Queen Mary’s dress train commissioned by the Ulster Women’s Unionist Council and made by Youghal Cooperative Lace Society around 1911.Image 3 of 5
Flag which draped Michael Collins’ body on the journey from Cork to Shanakill Hospital after his fatal wounding.Image 4 of 5
Topee helmet worn on foreign service by Henry Ross of Cork in the Indian Medical Service in 1902.Image 5 of 5
Rory Gallagher’s 1961 Fender Stratocaster.Objects from Cork, including Rory Gallagher’s guitar and the Red Cross flag that covered Michael Collins’s body after his death, have been unveiled at a major new exhibition.
The Cork objects form part of the Changing Ireland Galleries opened recently at the National Museum of Ireland in Collins Barracks, Dublin. The exhibition marks the museum’s biggest expansion of public galleries in over two decades.
Pieces from Cork include a delicate handkerchief bordered with Youghal needlepoint lace made by the Youghal Co-operative Lace Society around 1912; a lace sample for Queen Mary’s dress train, commissioned by the Ulster Women’s Unionist Council and made by the Youghal Co-operative Lace Society, in 1911 and a topee helmet worn on foreign service by Henry Ross (b.1877) of Cork in the Indian Medical Service in 1902. Also included is a razor wire from the Good Shepherd Convent and Laundry, Sunday’s Well; the 1961 Fender Stratocaster owned and personally modified by musician Rory Gallagher (1948–1995) and a 1922 Red Cross flag that covered Michael Collins’s body after he was killed in an ambush at Béal na Bláth, by anti-Treaty republicans on 22 August 1922.
The Changing Ireland Galleries feature hundreds of political, social, and cultural objects from the museum’s 20th and 21st century collections. On entering the galleries, visitors are invited to reflect on the objects and consider the question: “Cad is ann Éire dar leat? (What is Ireland to you?).”
Spread across 426 square metres of interconnected rooms, the new galleries have been designed to accommodate regular changes in the display, giving the public full access to the collection and supporting the long-term conservation of the objects.
Director of the National Museum of Ireland, Lynn Scarff, said: “The opening of the Changing Ireland Galleries marks a transformational moment for the National Museum. Reflecting the new direction set out in our strategic plan, it is object-focused, non-linear, and exploratory, and aims to be a place of sanctuary and surprise without predetermined narratives.
“The galleries invite visitors to connect with history on their own terms and to question what Ireland means to them today,” she added.
At the official opening of the galleries on Friday, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence, Simon Harris, TD, said: “These new galleries provide an important opportunity to reflect on and connect with Ireland’s story in fresh and deeply meaningful ways. It reminds us that our shared history is not static but continues to evolve with every generation, shaped by the people who call this island home.”
The Changing Ireland Galleries at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin is now open and admission is free. For more, visit museum.ie.