Irish Republican History Museum
Encyclopedia
The Irish Republican History Museum , is a museum
in Belfast
, Northern Ireland
. It was established in 2007 after years of campaigning by Eileen Hickey, who collected the exhibits.
The museum is based in Conway Mill in the Falls Road area of West Belfast
. The site is a former linen mill built in 1842 which has been in community use for the last thirty years. The museum opened in February 2007 on the first anniversary of the death of Eileen Hickey, one of the major driving forces behind the initiative. The museum is administrated by a committee made up of volunteers.
Hickey was the former Officer Commanding of the Provisional Irish Republican Army
(IRA) prisoners in Armagh Women's prison and she dedicated her life to preserving artifacts and relics from the period in Irish history known as The Troubles
.
The museum was officially opened by Fr. Des Wilson and Noelle Ryan, with Museum Chairperson, Pól Wilson speaking at the opening of the museum.
Exhibits have been donated by hundreds of individuals and families. These include prisoners handicrafts made by republicans imprisoned around the world, weapons used by republicans and pictures and artwork relating to the conflict.
Some exhibits date back as far as the United Irishmen's rebellion of 1798
.
Key exhibits include:
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It was established in 2007 after years of campaigning by Eileen Hickey, who collected the exhibits.
The museum is based in Conway Mill in the Falls Road area of West Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. The site is a former linen mill built in 1842 which has been in community use for the last thirty years. The museum opened in February 2007 on the first anniversary of the death of Eileen Hickey, one of the major driving forces behind the initiative. The museum is administrated by a committee made up of volunteers.
Hickey was the former Officer Commanding of the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(IRA) prisoners in Armagh Women's prison and she dedicated her life to preserving artifacts and relics from the period in Irish history known as The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
.
The museum was officially opened by Fr. Des Wilson and Noelle Ryan, with Museum Chairperson, Pól Wilson speaking at the opening of the museum.
Exhibits have been donated by hundreds of individuals and families. These include prisoners handicrafts made by republicans imprisoned around the world, weapons used by republicans and pictures and artwork relating to the conflict.
Some exhibits date back as far as the United Irishmen's rebellion of 1798
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...
.
Key exhibits include:
- A jacket worn by IRA volunteerVolunteer (Irish republican)Volunteer, often abbreviated Vol., is a term used by a number of Irish republican paramilitary organisations to describe their members. Among these have been the various forms of the Irish Republican Army and the Irish National Liberation Army...
Mairéad FarrellMairéad FarrellMairéad Farrell was an Irish volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army . She was killed by SAS soldiers during Operation Flavius, a British Army operation to prevent a bombing in Gibraltar.-Early life:...
while in prison. - A cell door and bed removed from Armagh women's prison.
- A large array of posters and paintings related to the conflict.
- Articles of interest on deceased members of the National Graves Association, BelfastNational Graves Association, BelfastThe National Graves Association, Belfast is a private Irish republican organisation which undertakes to care for and maintain the graves of some Irish Republican Army volunteers who are buried in Belfast cemeteries...
and other republicans in Belfast and beyond. - A library and interpretive centre to help with education projects and those conducting historical research.