Sligo County Museum facts for kids
| Músaem Chontae Shligigh | |
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| Established | 1955 |
|---|---|
| Location | Stephen Street, Sligo, Ireland |
| Type | County museum |
| Public transit access | Markievicz Road bus shelter |
The Sligo County Museum (which is Músaem Chontae Shligigh in Irish) is a cool place to learn about the history of County Sligo. It's located in Sligo town, inside an old building called a manse. A manse was traditionally a home for a church leader.
Contents
Discovering Sligo's Past
The Sligo County Museum first opened its doors in 1955. It's set up inside a building that used to be a manse. This manse was built around 1867 and was connected to the start of the Congregational church in Sligo. Right next to it is a beautiful old church building. Since 1954, this church has been used as the Sligo Library.
Who Helped Create the Museum?
A very important person named Nora Niland helped a lot to create the museum. She was especially helpful with the collection about the famous writer W. B. Yeats. The well-known Niland Collection is even named after her!
What Can You See at the Museum?
The museum has lots of interesting things that show the history of County Sligo. You can explore everything from the Stone Age right up to today.
Amazing Old Objects
One of the most unique items you can see is a "firkin" of bog butter. This special butter is over 100 years old! It was preserved in a bog, which is a type of wetland.
Celebrating Famous Sligo People
Sligo is famous for its connection to the poet W. B. Yeats. The museum has many exhibits about him. You can see a copy of the Nobel Prize in Literature he won in 1923. There are also examples of his work from 1889 to 1936.
The museum also displays paintings by other famous Irish artists. These include works by Jack Butler Yeats (W. B. Yeats's brother), George William Russell, and Seán Keating. You can also find items linked to Countess Markievicz and her sister, Eva Gore-Booth. They were both important figures in Irish history.
Local Treasures and Special Displays
You'll find many other local items and cool rock samples from the area. The museum often has special displays. One recent exhibit was called News from the Past. It told the story of Sligo's history during World War I. This display even included old photographs from World War I that a local person saved from being lost forever in the 1990s.
Plans for a New Museum
There have been plans to build a new, bigger museum for Sligo. Designs for a new building were made in 2001. In 2002, the museum service finished its plans for the new County Museum.
Improving the Collection
The museum worked hard in 2002 to make its collection even better. They bought furniture from a sale at Lissadell House, which is a famous historic home.
Funding and Construction
The first part of the plan was to build a new Sligo Branch Library and the County Museum. A lot of money, €4.285 million, was approved for the new Sligo Library. Another grant of €2,920,398 was given for the new museum project in 2001. The search for a company to build it started in October 2007.
In 2008, the Sligo County Council asked for a loan of €6.4 million for the project. Architects Sheridan Woods designed the building to be very modern and high-quality. Construction started in 2008, but it stopped after only the groundwork was finished.
