An Post Museum facts for kids
| Músaem an Phoist | |
External view of the GPO
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| Established | 28 July 2010 |
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| Dissolved | 30 May 2015 |
| Location | General Post Office, O'Connell Street, Dublin, Ireland |
| Public transit access | O'Connell Street bus stops Abbey Street Luas stop (Red Line) |
| Nearest car park | Park Rite, Q-Park, Ilac, Jervis Street |
The An Post Museum (also known as the GPO Museum) was a cool place in the General Post Office in Dublin, Ireland. It opened on July 28, 2010. This museum showed how the Post Office helped shape Irish society over many years.
It closed on May 30, 2015. A new place called the GPO: Witness History Interpretive Centre took its spot. Even though the museum building closed, the An Post Museum & Archive still keeps important postal history items. They also have special stamp collections. Sometimes, they even put on small displays and share research about the history of the Irish Post Office.
Inside the museum, you could see Irish stamps. There was also a small model of the GPO building. You could watch videos and listen to stories. The museum even had a copy of the 1916 Proclamation. This was a very important document in Irish history. There was also a special "Pepper's ghost" show. It told the story of the staff working in the GPO during the Easter Rising in 1916.
Many of the stories and videos from the museum are still online. The new centre that replaced it focuses on the 100-year anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. It tells the story of the GPO as a "Witness to History."
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Contents
Exploring the Museum's Sections
The An Post Museum had three main parts. Each part showed a different side of Ireland's postal history. These sections were: Art of the Stamp, Post Office in Ireland, and Easter 1916.
The Art of the Stamp: Designing History
This section was all about Irish stamps. You could see stamps from when Ireland became a Free State up to today. There was an interactive database to explore them. You could also try a stamp design tool. This showed how stamps are made using computers. The museum even had examples of the metal plates used to print Ireland's first official stamps.
The Post Office in Ireland: Stories from the Past
In this part, you could hear real stories. These were from retired Post Office workers. You listened to them using a special old-fashioned switchboard. It was like going back in time! You learned about their experiences in different parts of the Irish Post Office. Back then, it was called the Post and Telegraphs (P&T).
There were also short videos. They showed how the Irish Post Office started. You could see how it moved from Dublin Castle to its current spot on O'Connell Street. This section taught you how mail delivery changed. It showed how new technology made things faster and better.
Easter 1916: A Moment in History
This area displayed a copy of the Proclamation of Ireland. This document was read aloud by Padraig Pearse. He read it from the front of the GPO on Easter Monday, April 24, 1916. The display around the Proclamation showed pictures of the GPO after it was damaged. This happened when the rebels gave up to the British Army.
There was also a special holographic show. It used a "Pepper's ghost" effect. This show recreated events in the Telegraph Room. It showed what happened when the rebels took over the communications room. The film was based on what the staff members who were there actually saw.
Museum Closure and New Beginnings
The An Post Museum closed its doors on May 30, 2015. However, some of its information is still available online. A brand new visitor centre replaced it. This new centre, called GPO Witness History, cost €7 million to build. It opened on March 29, 2016. It was created to remember the Easter Rising of 1916. The General Post Office was a very important place during this historical event.
