Muriel Gahan was an Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 rural

Rural

Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...

 campaigner.

Gahan was born in County Donegal

County Donegal

County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...

; in 1900 her family moved to Castlebar

Castlebar

Castlebar is the county town of, and at the centre of, County Mayo in Ireland. It is Mayo's largest town by population. The town's population exploded in the late 1990s, increasing by one-third in just six years, though this massive growth has slowed down greatly in recent years...

, County Mayo

County Mayo

County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...

. She moved to Dublin in 1926, joining the Society of United Irishwomen in 1929, founding Country Workers Ltd and the Country Shop in 1930. Her reasons for the latter foundations was "her realisation of the lack of respect for craft workers, and their need for a retail outlet for their products." (O'Dowd, p424).

In 1935 she launched the Irish Homespun Society in an effort to preserve some of the country's homespun traditions. Exhibitions where held at the annual Dublin Spring Show. She was a founder-member of the Irish Arts Council, vice-president of the Royal Dublin Society

Royal Dublin Society

The Royal Dublin Society was founded on 25 June 1731 to "to promote and develop agriculture, arts, industry, and science in Ireland". The RDS is synonymous with its main premises in Ballsbridge in Dublin, Ireland...

 and received an honorary doctorate by University of Dublin

University of Dublin

The University of Dublin , corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin , located in Dublin, Ireland, was effectively founded when in 1592 Queen Elizabeth I issued a charter for Trinity College, Dublin, as "the mother of a university" – this date making it...

 in 1978.

The Muriel Gahan Scholarship of one thousand pounds is awarded annually at the RDS

RDS

RDS may refer to:*Amazon Relational Database Service, Amazon's cloud-based Relational Database Service*Radio Data System*Radio Dimensione Suono, an Italian radio station*Random dot stereogram, a form of 3-D image*SAP Rapid Deployment Solutions, from SAP AG...

national crafts competition.

On April 7th, 2011, The Muriel Gahan Museum of Irish History was opened at An Grianán, Termonfeckin, Co. Louth, home of the ICA.
The museum is now home to many items of Irish history, craft and culture.