National Museum Exhibition

[Connaught Stranger]

I cannot under stand the "no photography" bit, despite so called "experts" claiming the flash will fade the uniforms, if the area is well lit then there is no need to use flash.

I have been to the Romanian Military Museum in Bucharest, entrance fee 2.50 Ron. approximately 60 cents, there you have to pay a small fee per picture .50 Bani = 2 Euro cents.

The lady at the ticket desk checks how many pictures are on your camera meter going in, and when you come out they check again and make the calculation.
You are also issued with a card to wear showing you are paying the fee, as in each floor of the museum there is a curator to check that non of the exhibits are touched.

Even the entrance ticket features on the back an item in the Museum's collection.

Connaught Stranger.

[X-RayOne]

"Is it on again any time soon?"

its a permanent display as far as i know.

[Goldie fish]

I have to add my name to the list of admirers of this fine display. Had the pleasure of visiting it yesterday. However the only flaw I can find is that its easy to miss things. It wasn't really laid out chronologically, I was at the latter stages of the exhibitions when I discovered the interactive pull outs. I also laughed when I saw how Collins Barracks used to house the pride of the Irish Army, the 2nd and 7th Inf Bn, prior to its closure....
The 3 rifles was the high point for me, lift any one and the Sergeant from the Period the rifle was in use appears on the screen and instructs the viewer in its use. No A7 back then...
Unless I am mistaken the same Panhard M3 in the display used sit outdoors at the entrance.

The Emergency Propaganda newsreels were quite good as well. There was one detailing a Naval exercise with the MTB that had about 30 of them engaged in various exercises, along with their "Depot ship". We know now that there was only 6 MTBs, and their Depot ship was a converted trawler.

I also got my hands on the DVD of the 100 paces piece. Difficult to describe it fairly really.

[lil-ears-luke]

Is it on again any time soon?

[Hugo M]

I had a quick visit last month. I 'll revisit it this summer. Is there a publication with pictures?

Kudos on putting up the photos Joshua.
I didn't see any "no photography" signs either, I was just dumb enough to ask staff.

A bit of background on the Michael Collins uniform on display; the mud on the greatcoat is actually that from the roadside at Bealnablath where he died. Until the early 1960s, the greatcoat was displayed with a huge bloodstain across the shoulders. It was cleaned off due to public misgivings.
Until about ten years ago, the uniform cap was also displayed, complete with damage done to the back by the fatal bullet's exit. This has also been removed, apparently due to more modern sensibilities.

[cav]

The "Auxilliary" dummy Correct, me if I m wrong was dressed, I thought anyway ,as an Ordinary Tan, so they got that well wrong. The photos of the 2 Tans At fairyhouse (just beside the Auxi Dummy) were really auxis. Am I right ?

[Turncoat]

The lancers were in ireland from 1920-1922, galway i think. So could very easily have been stolen.

[Groundhog]

Did anyone else notice that Liam Lynch's rifle had a 21st Lancers capbadge nailed to it?
Anyone any explanation for that one?

Yes. Saw that. I wonder did he likr their motto "Death or Glory"?

[Turncoat]

I thought it was great but
not just go the extra mile and shape the dummies beret
he looked like a Cadre CQ from south Kerry with that shape

Yea it was the same with the dummy for the guy from the connaught rangers, caubeen straight out of the box, not even pulled over.

Did anyone else notice that Liam Lynch's rifle had a 21st Lancers capbadge nailed to it?
Anyone any explanation for that one?

[Groundhog]

Scarily enough, I realised that I've fired all the personal weapons in that display (Gustav, Steyr, FN, Lee Enfield)
Am I getting old ????

Me too, except for the bow and arrow.

[Truck Driver]

.....What annoyed me was mistakes on matters of fact like a display of the medals of Sgt Mulcahy KIA in the Congo. Of the four medals on display the museum managed to correctly name one, the DSM.....

You copped that one aswell. See my post three posts above....

But yes, it is a good start.
I remember going on a school tour to the Nat Museum in Kildare Street
years ago, and visiting a 1916 Room while there. Anyone know if it's still
there, or has the stuff been relocated up to Collins Bks?

[Groundhog]

I was there with some civvy friends, I thought it was great but there were a few little niggles...

Yep. Visited there yesterday with WES and we noted that the crap beret and the shiny, new flakker that nobody ever had wasn't very realistic but I suppose if one of Napoleon's lads or a Royal Dublin Fusiliers NCO happened to drop in he might find the display from his era unrealistic also.

What annoyed me was mistakes on matters of fact like a display of the medals of Sgt Mulcahy KIA in the Congo. Of the four medals on display the museum managed to correctly name one, the DSM. A photograph of the monument to the four lads killed in the RTA in 2000 was recorded as commemorating the three men killed by a mine in Brashit in 1989.

That said, the display is a start. There's a lot more that could be done. While we were there we visited Kilmainham Jail and the Islandbridge Memorial. I last visited Kilmainham in 1971 on a school tour. I was mucho impressed especially since the museum doesn't just harp on the 1916 bit but the jails entire history. Well done the OPW.

I especially liked the computerised history of capital punishment with the voting option for or against the death penalty. The score at tea time yesterday stood at 16, 154 For, 5,874 Against.

Most amusing display, this business card;

[trellheim]

Was there today, met some RDF lads from Tullamore up for the day; The Steyr on the UN dummy is the most pristine Steyr I've ever seen ! Not a mark on it.

The Irish Civil war and 1916 area is tiny, doesn't give any sort of an idea of what really happened; the American Civil war section is about the same size and much more in it.

The bookshop has most of the usual irish army books.

Although an excellent collection it is squeezed very very tightly, especially the period 1945-present day


Packed out today !

[Truck Driver]

Yeh, I got the same "No Photos Please" - unfortunately, I only got snaps
of the first couple of exhibits as I came in

I pointed out to the museum guy on duty there that the caption for the display
of Sgt Mulcahy's (RIP) medals was incorrect. A retired PDF member was
looking at the display at the time, and had a good laugh at us "nitpicking"

To the best of my memory, then display was (R-L):
DSM, UN Peacekeeper's Medal, Military Star, and a UN Medal for (I think) the
UNTSO mission (had to check the medal pics on the UN site to confirm this one)

Can't remember exactly what the caption said, but it wasn't fully correct, only the
DSM caption was correct.

Scarily enough, I realised that I've fired all the personal weapons in that display (Gustav, Steyr, FN, Lee Enfield)
Am I getting old ????