We are delighted to announce that Kerry County Museum is hosting a series of free evening events this autumn. Our varied programme of events will showcase Kerry’s rich history and heritage through gallery talks, discussions, interactive demonstrations, life music and storytelling. This series of events is funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media through their After Hours at the Museum Scheme 2023 #NTE23
The 18th edition of Culture Night will take place on Friday 22 September 2023 and we are going to throw our doors open at 6pm so you can experience the Museum after dark. Explore our vibrant historical and cultural exhibitions, engage in hands-on activities for all the family. Kicking off Culture Night at 6pm are the dynamic Skills for Life students, who will launch their new music video BRAVE at 6pm: “This year’s music will show the world that you should give no matter how we struggle we should everything a go! Say what you want to say!”
A special treat for families awaits – the fabulous medieval re-enactment group THE LAST PRINCE is back by popular demand and will populate the streets of Medieval Tralee so you can take your fun pictures, join in the fun and games of times gone by and celebrate Culture Night medieval style! You can also look forward to a permormance by the Kerry Ukrainian choir and join members of our MUSEUM CULTURE CLUB for a dazzling culture sharing dance performance in partnership with Siamsa Tire, the National Folk Theatre.
Culture Night / Oíche Chultúir is brought to you by the Arts Council and we would like to thank our local Kerry Arts Office for all their support in making Culture Night one of our flagship events every year. We also also like to acknowledge the financial support of the event by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media through their After Hours at the Museum Scheme 2023 #NTE23
Events at a Glance:
6pm-10pm: Welcome to the Museum After Dark – all exhibitions are open!
6pm-10pm: Living history group THE LAST PRINCE will populate the Medieval Experience for the enjoyment of all.
6pm: Premiere show of Skills for Life’s new music video “Brave” – Be ready to be inspired!
6pm-7pm: Learn a Ukrainian dance with our Museum Culture Club, a culture and heritage-sharing initiative for everyone in the local community.
7pm-7.45pm: We are delighted to welcome the Kerry Ukraine Choir for a special performance at Kerry County Museum!
All are welcome!
A list of all events in Kerry can be found here: https://culturenight.ie/events/?_sft_location=kerry
Join poet John W. Sexton and Kerry County Museum curator Helen O’Carroll for two unique creative writing workshops on Saturday 2 and 9 September from 11am – 1pm.
Guided by writer John W. Sexton, participants are invited to respond creatively to a selection of War of Independence & Civil War artefacts from the Kerry County Museum collection.
Poems composed during the workshops will be collected and preserved in a special Poetry as Commemoration archive housed in UCD Special Collections. Participants who have family stories or materials relating to the revolutionary period are invited to share these, but no family connection is necessary and all are welcome.
Please note that participants should attend both workshops. One ticket allows access to both workshops on 2 and 9 September. This is a free event but booking via Eventbrite is necessary: Book Now
Féile Thrá Lí, the Tralee StreetFest will take place between August 18-22 to coincide with the Rose of Tralee International Festival. Featuring parades, live music, street theatre, markets, fireworks and an extensive programme of family fun, the Féile will incorporate all the traditional elements of festivals in previous years. As part of the festival, Kerry County Museum is delighted to offer free entry to our special temporary exhibition “Gowns of Glory – The Rose of Tralee dresses through the decades”. Young heritage hunters can also pick up a free Tralee Town Park spotter sheet at the museum and go on a journey of discovery to explore all of the park’s hidden gems. We also highly recommend a visit to Tralee Library who is hosting their popular annual Rose Memorabilia Exhibition. Full details of the programme can be found on www.festivaltralee.com. Hard copies are available at Tralee Library, Tourist Information Office, Kerry County Museum and other local businesses around town. Please note that from 16 – 22 August entry to Kerry County Museum is via the Tourist Information Office, which is located on the playground facing side of the Ashe Memorial Hall.
The Rose of Tralee Festival is held every year during the month of August, coinciding with National Heritage Week. The festival takes his inspiration from the 19th century ballad of the same name, and the centrepiece is a competition, broadcast live on national TV, in which a young woman is crowned as the Rose of Tralee. Entrants come from over sixty Rose Centres globally, and the winning Rose represents the Festival and Ireland in a year-long ambassadorial role at home and abroad. ‘Gowns Of Glory’ charts the changing styles over the decades with more than 40 dresses on display worn by the winning Rose of Tralee over the past 60 years and entry is free during Heritage Week.
Also on display are memorabilia from Alice O’Sullivan, the first Rose of Tralee in 1959, including her fob watch, clutch bag and ‘Dublin’ sash. The dresses are part of a wider context in fashion trends, and some are very much of their time, notably the 1980s with its puffy sleeves and flouncy skirts. Styles have become sleeker since then, with designs aiming for a timeless elegance. In the early years the Roses either made their own dresses or bought “off-the-rack”. From 1978 the competition was broadcast live on RTÉ, and this had a major impact in the following decades. Designers became keen to get their styles shown on one of the nation’s most watched TV programmes, and many of the gowns on display were designed specifically for the occasion.
The Rose of Tralee is a national institution, loved and loathed in equal measure. Its critics argue that it is a relic of an Ireland that no longer exists, with outdated notions of Irish femininity. Supporters point to the increasing diversity of the Roses as reflecting a changing Ireland. Revealing much about the tensions between the country’s past, present, and its future direction, this annual debate bears down heavily on an event that for many is about entertainment and the glorious gúnas.
Do you have a story or special memory about the Rose of Tralee or any object relating to the festival? We would love to hear from you: education@kerrymuseum.ie
Did you know that Kerry County Museum is open seven days a week during the summer? And better still: children go free as part of our family offer. So why not visit us this summer and explore our engaging exhibitions with the Pangur Bán Discovery Trail, a family activity trail with many hands-on activities along the way. If you are in Kerry during National Heritage Week (12-20 August), make sure to check out our wide range of Heritage Week events: From mixed-media arts & crafts sessions inspired by prehistoric tools to interactive workshops exploring childhood in Stone Age and Viking Kerry, there is something for all the family. All are welcome!
Kerry County Museum is delighted to participate in the magnificent Park Festival in Tralee, celebrating the return of Summer live music, food and arts to Kerry. The Park Festival is hosted in the picturesque outdoor space of Tralee Town Park in the heart of Tralee town and Kerry County Museum are offering free entry to all our exhibitions on Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 June. We are also delighted to host a major living history event in our Medieval Experience. “The Last Prince” offers an immersive, entertaining and hands-on insight into life in Gaelic late medieval Ireland. This event is also free of charge and is on Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 June from 11am until 4pm. The 2023 Park Festival is presented by Kerry County Council Tralee Municipal District and supported by Kerry Group. Flagship events include the traditional Féile na mBláth family festival of Flower Presentations, Demonstrations, Street Theatre and Arts, Craft and Food Stalls both outdoors and under our Festival Marquees. For all events during the Park Festival have a look here:
Welcome summer! Are you getting too hot being out and about in Tralee this bank holiday weekend? Why not drop into the Museum to cool down and explore our exhibitions and hands-on activities! We are open on Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 10am until 5pm; last admission is at 4pm. A special treat awaits on Saturday 3 June: our facilitator Helena is delivering fun drop-in arts and crafts workshops from 11am until 3pm. Our arts and crafts activities are most suitable for children of primary school age – but younger or older kids can join in too! Learn how to make your own walking spider or other creepy crawlies and rest assured – anyone who has done workshops with Helena before knows that it’s fun guaranteed!
Kerry’s primary schools engage in amazing local heritage projects every year: climbing in and out of ringforts, exploring the history of their schools or village, researching landmark buildings near their school, recording native plants and birds, interviewing their grandparents, making history models – the children’s creativity and imagination is boundless. To showcase some of these fabulous projects, we have partnered up with Radio Kerry to create Heritage Hunters, a series of ten short podcasts which are being broadcast on Jerry O’Sullivan’s Kerry Today throughout 2023.
Kerry Heritage Hunters is a creative collaboration of Radio Kerry, the Kerry Archaeological & Historical Society, Kerry County Museum and Kerry County Council. This primary school initiative is kindly supported by the Heritage Council of Ireland, The Education Centre Tralee and the Sound and Vision fund of Coimisiún na Meán.
Click on the links below and explore Kerry’s rich local heritage through children’s eyes. We would like to invite you to join the pupils of Spa NS going oyster fishing in Fenit, climb to the top of Blennerville Windmill with the pupils of Blennerville NS and travel on the Ghost train to Croker with the pupils of Glenbeigh NS. The remaining poscasts will be recorded over the next few months – watch this space!
LISTEN TO Spa National School – Oyster Fishing in Fenit: https://www.radiokerry.ie/podcasts/heritage-hunters-podcast/episode-1-oyster-fishing-spa-national-school-325655
LISTEN TO Blennerville National School – The Windmill: https://www.radiokerry.ie/podcasts/kerry-today/heritage-hunters-blennerville-windmill-april-3rd-2023-325216
LISTEN TO Glenbeigh National School – The Ghost Train to Croker: https://www.radiokerry.ie/podcasts/kerry-today/heritage-hunters-ghost-train-may-31st-2023-333137
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