The Newry and Mourne Museum opened its latest temporary exhibition, Making Waves: Newry’s rise as a global trade centre, on Thursday, October 16th. This display, which explores Newry's history as a global trading hub, continues the Museum's programme of producing two new exhibitions annually, totalling over forty since 2007.
The Museum opened in 1986 in a small area of the then Newry Arts Centre and so exhibition space was very limited. This in turn, meant that the number of new exhibitions was restricted. In 2007 the service moved to its new home at Bagenal’s Castle. The restored building now had three main galleries but critically it had a temporary exhibition space. In 2011 a larger exhibition space was developed and launched with the opening of ‘Beliefs and Customs through the Ages in Newry and Mourne’.
The programme allows the Museum the opportunity to look in greater depth at various aspects of this region’s rich culture and history. Themes that have been examined include, local politics, sport, religion, drama, transport, and art, demonstrating the rich diversity of the Museum’s collection. Artefacts that are usually in storage are exhibited, offering visitors something unique to see and a fresh experience.
The development of each new exhibition means that Museum staff engage with a wide range of people, not least the local community, some of whom contributed loans of important material to the various exhibitions. People with lifetime experiences have contributed over the years, providing important detail and background information on the various themes.
Each exhibition must be thoroughly studied and planned. It often takes one year to research the topic that is being displayed. Images are sourced and often copyright permission must be obtained. In a previous article we mentioned that the Museum produces a publication that offers more detail not included in the main exhibition. These too are thoroughly researched before publication.
The programme is complemented by the changes in the Museum's costume case, which is remodelled twice a year. Items of clothing have included Captain McParland’s merchant navy uniform, The Right Honourable Turlough O’Donnell’s Q.C. ceremonial robes of a High Court Judge, a Second World War wedding dress, Feis costumes, and Seamus Mallon’s coat.
Having two new displays each year allows the Museum to organise events and activities based around the new exhibitions. For instance, guest speaker Geraldine Foley will visit the Newry and Mourne Museum on October 18 at 2pm to give the talk From Canal Street to the Caribbean – Newry links to slavery and the plantation economy.
In the past we have organised bread making demonstrations to coincide with the Slices of History: Memories of McCann’s Bakery exhibition. For Newry Artists Past and Present local schools attended printing etching workshops, where they created their own piece of art. Some of the exhibitions, such as War Declared: the local impact of World War II and A Great Change – The lives and times of James Harshaw, John Martin and John Mitchel attracted local schools as these subjects are on the curriculum.
Some of the lectures associated with the exhibitions have been recorded or been held online, especially during Covid. This allows those who cannot attend in person the opportunity to engage with the Museum service remotely. Over the upcoming weeks we will be uploading some of these talks on our Facebook page which you can access here: https://www.facebook.com/NMDMuseums/
