EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum facts for kids
Mural at Epic
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| Former name | EPIC Ireland |
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| Established | May 2016 |
| Location | CHQ Custom House Quay Dublin, Ireland |
| Type | Cultural History |
| Founder | Neville Isdell |
| Architect | Event Communications |
| Owner | Neville Isdell |
| Public transit access | Luas (Red Line), George's Dock stop, DART (Pearse Station, Tara Street Station), Irish Rail (Connolly Station) |
| Nearest car park | ParkRite IFSC |
EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum is a cool museum in Dublin, Ireland. It tells the story of Irish people who moved to other countries, which is called emigration. The museum is located in Dublin's Docklands area.
A company from London called Event Communications designed the museum. It's so good that it was voted "Europe's Leading Tourist Attraction" three times in a row! This happened at the World Travel Awards in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Contents
How EPIC Was Created
EPIC is a museum owned by a private person, not the government. It was started by E. Neville Isdell, who used to be in charge of The Coca-Cola Company. He was born in County Down, Ireland.
In 2015, a group of experts helped plan the museum. Then, in May 2016, Mary Robinson, who used to be the President of Ireland, officially opened EPIC.
The CHQ Building
The museum is in the old vaults of the CHQ Building. This building is very old, built in 1820. It was designed by John Rennie and finished by Thomas Telford. It was first used as a special warehouse for goods that needed customs checks.
The DDDA fixed up the building in the early 2000s.
Modern Design and Awards
The museum's exhibits were created by Event Communications. This company also designed the famous Titanic Belfast attraction.
When EPIC opened in 2016, the Irish Independent newspaper said that Neville Isdell invested about 15 million Euros in it. They also said the museum had "breathtakingly immersive technology-driven displays." This means it uses lots of cool digital screens and interactive parts.
The Irish Times newspaper called EPIC "the world’s first fully digital museum." In its first year, 120,000 people visited! In 2018, it was even nominated for the European Museum of the Year Award. As mentioned, EPIC later won "Europe's Leading Tourist Attraction" in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
What You'll See at EPIC
The museum has twenty different galleries, each with its own theme. These galleries are grouped into four main sections:
- Migration (Galleries 1 to 2)
- Motivation (Galleries 4 to 7)
- Influence (Galleries 8 to 18)
- Diaspora Today (Galleries 19 to 20)
Migration Stories
The "Migration" galleries show how Irish people have moved around the world since the year 500 AD. You can learn about different reasons why people left Ireland.
For example, some left for religious reasons, like missionaries. Others left because of the Irish famine, a time of great hunger. People also left due to unfair treatment or because they were sent away as criminals. The museum also shows how Irish people were involved in wars in other countries.
You can even watch videos of six Irish emigrants telling their own stories.
See also
