IF A TOURIST asked you where to find out about Queen Victoria’s visit to Dublin, or the bombing of the North Strand, or even, say, the early days of U2, where would you recommend? Many great cities, including Cork, Galway and Glasgow, have a museum dedicated to local history. There was a Civic Museum on South William Street for many years, but since its closure – at the height of the boom – Dublin has had no permanent biographer. That is unfortunate, as the cultural, political and social history of the capital is worth remembering. Dublin deserves a museum of its own.
We are working on a project to create a people’s museum of the city. The Little Museum of Dublin will be run by an independent non-profit company, and we hope to acquire charity status in due course. When it opens later this year, the museum will occupy just a single floor of a Georgian building at 15 St Stephen’s Green. The building is owned by Dublin City Council, and our other patrons are Dublin Regional Authority and Fáilte Ireland. There will be regular events in the museum, as well as an outreach programme. With a decade of major centenaries upon us, we want to provide a new public forum for debate about Ireland, past and present.
Our other project, known as City of a Thousand Welcomes, will also be housed in the Little Museum. When it launches on Bloomsday, this civic initiative will enable Dubliners to welcome tourists over a free cup of tea or a drink. It's a simple but timely idea, and many people have responded to the call for volunteers. Our goal was to recruit 1,000 volunteer ambassadors within three months. Two weeks after the appeal we had more than 2,000 applications.
I love museums, although I admit to being sceptical about some of the claims made on their behalf. I doubt a knowledge of history encourages us to avoid the mistakes of the past. Being human, we keep repeating the same mistakes. But museums record achievement as well as folly, and there is consolation as well as regret in the act of remembering. A community museum has an additional purpose: it reminds us of the importance of the local, and of the connections we share, connections that are all too easily neglected.
What should we put into this bumptious institution? Should we be pious? Or should we be playful? The choice is largely yours. If you own an object of historical significance, please consider sharing it with the people of Dublin. If your donation or loan is accepted for the collection, your generosity will be noted on the museum walls and you will receive free admission for life. (Ryan Tubridy calls it X Factormeets Antiques Roadshow.)
We have two large rooms, one with a view. What are we looking for? Furniture, paintings, photographs and first-hand accounts of key moments in the century. In addition we need a working jukebox, Phil Lynott's baptism certificate, old Irish cigarette packets, the Sacred Heart of the Divine Messengerand a school report for George Bernard Shaw. Some Sudocrem. (It was invented here by a chemist called Thomas Smith in 1931.) The Proclamation of Independence, a pass for the Eucharistic Congress and TK Whitaker's phone number. Come to think of it, we'll consider anything to do with Dublin in the 20th century.
History and hospitality are two of the things that make us unique in the world. In recording one and promoting the other, we want to play a small part in the rebirth of this knocked-out state. Why should you get involved? Because we’re celebrating what it means to be a Dubliner, and giving this city the museum it deserves. A request: When you get a moment, please have a look in the attic.
For more information see littlemuseum.ie
