The summer holidays have arrived, and with them long days where the children need to be entertained. At our house, we have a simple philosophy: have your breakfast, pack your bag (lunchbox, markers, and books), and leave.
We stay out as long as we can: there is about 100% less chaos from my boys, and about 1000% less nagging from me. On sunny days, we hit the beach, on hot days the forest, and on rainy days we choose from our hit list of cultural adventures. We share a feast with medieval noblemen at Dalkey Castle and Heritage Centre. We try out the rifles at Collins Barracks. We do a treasure hunt at the Dead Zoo. Or, if the weather conspires with programming, head to the National Gallery, the Hugh Lane Gallery, the RHA or IMMA for a children’s art workshops. Often (yes, the days are long), we actually get to do both. Most of the big cultural institutions have extensive grounds. Our favourites are St Enda’s Park in Rathfarnham, which has a terrific museum dedicated to Padraig Pearse’s cult-like school, and the snaky paths and bridges outside the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Castle.
Here are my top tips for making the most from a museum:
- Context is crucial. Do some research and prepare children beforehand.
- Turn a trip into a treasure hunt: the museum or gallery may have online resources, worksheets or cultural backpacks that will help guide you through the collection. If not, make your own: “Let’s find a painting that has a dragon in it.”
- The gift shop is your friend. There is no avoiding it, (we have had several experiences where we have never made it PAST the gift shop) so make it work for you. Get your child to pick a postcard of an object or painting and try to find it in the museum, or use it as inspiration for further investigation when you get home.
- The major national cultural institutions have facilities and activities for children. In Dublin, Imma and the National Gallery offer family workshops throughout the summer and play areas for small children in their cafes.
- The trio of National Museums offer particularly family-friendly material, including the macabre Dead Zoo at the Natural History Museum, soldiers’ memorabilia at Collins Barracks and the gory bog bodies at the History Museum (for mummies, head to St Michan’s in Dublin 7). In Mayo, the National Museum of Country Life has similar appeal for young visitors.
- In Cork, the Glucksman and Crawford galleries reach out to families in weekly events, while the Lifetime Lab and Blackrock Observatory are designed with under-age users in mind.
- In Northern Ireland, the W5 discovery centre and Titanic Experience in Belfast, and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Co Down, are a trio of wonders for young visitors.
- OPW sites (including Kilmainham Gaol and Dublin Castle) are free in on the 1st Wednesday of every month. We are such frequent visitors that we recently invested in a Family Card (under 6s are free to all sites.) Our favourites are Charles Fort in Kinsale, Cahir Castle in Tipperary and St Brigid’s Cathedral and Round Tower in Kildare, which just about gets my boys enthused about a trip to the nearby shopping mecca of Kildare Village.
Some of the best Cultural Adventures nationwide listed below.
The National Library/Marsh’s Library
It may go against your instincts to visit a library with a young companion, but the National Library offers more than just a reading room and access to books. It also houses an impressive exhibition about WB Yeats. The exhibition balances material objects, such as masks and ouija boards, with digital manuscripts. Check out the education section of the library’s website for a Yeats Trail that you can print at home. This year they have a Treasures and Trails workshop series every Thursday afternoon. Marsh’s Library behind St Patrick’s Cathedral is one of Dublin’s best smallest museums. You can try writing with a quill pen, get locked up in the reading cages they used to stop people stealing books in the 1600s and hear a lot of stories about ghosts.
Age: 8+. Free admission. www.n
li.ie www.marshlibrary.ie
Cork City Gaol
Put playground cops and robbers games in perspective at Cork City Gaol, where life-like statues animate real-life stories of the prison to tremendous effect. Of particular interest will be the eight-year-old pickpocket who has just been whipped with the cat o’ nine tails. Afterwards, cross the Shakey Bridge at Sunday’s Well to Fitzgerald’s Park and play spot the sculpture: many of them are busts of Republican heroes who spent more than their fair share of time in one jail or another. Spike Island Prison has also just opened as a museum experience if you are interested in turning a similarly-themed exhibition into a daytrip.
Age: 3+. Family ticket (2 adults, 4 children): €25.
corkcitygaol.com
Model Arts Centre, Sligo
The first thing you see when you enter the Model is a wooden playhouse. There are regular family tours, events, and workshops throughout the year. This summer, for example, there is a mini-céilí, jazz workshops, film screenings, and many opportunities to engage with the Niland collection, which features some fine 20th-century work.
Age: All ages. Free.
themodel.ie
Belvedere House, Mullingar
You will need no persuasion to visit the grounds of Belvedere House, which include a Victorian walled garden, woodland trails and stunning views of Lough Enell. The house itself hosts a great interactive exhibition of life in the times of the Rochfort family. The servants’ quarters will prove especially exciting for younger visitors.
Age: All ages. Family ticket (2 adults, 2 children): €23.
belvedere-house.ie
Athenry Heritage Centre, Galway
Archery. A torture dungeon. This medieval model-town experience mines Athenry’s history for its most dramatic scenarios. Get kitted out in a wimple or armour and learn the art of archery. Afterwards, you can explore the town itself, which has a castle, graveyard, church, priory and defense walls of medieval origin.
Age: all ages. Family ticket (2 adults, 3 children): €26.
athenryheritagecentre.com
Opera in the Open
The Metropolitan Opera in New York stages an annual family-friendly production, with an edited score, an English libretto, and plenty of puppets and props. If you want to introduce your children to opera in Ireland, Opera in the Open, staged at Dublin Civic Offices in Wood Quay, is a good bet. The informal outdoor setting allows for wandering attention spans. The operas will be staged every Thursday in August, with a special season launch on July 30th in Merrion Square. Bring a picnic, and stick around after to meet the musicians.
Age: all ages. Admission free.
Sara Keating is an arts journalist with The Irish Times and The Sunday Business Post. She blogs about cultural adventures with her two boys a kidscultureireland.com For up-to-date news about cultural events for kids see the Kids Culture Ireland Facebook Page.
Put playground cops and robbers games in perspective at Cork City Gaol, where life-like statues animate real-life stories of the prison to tremendous effect. Of particular interest will be the eight-year-old pickpocket who has just been whipped with the cat o’ nine tails. Afterwards, cross the Shakey Bridge at Sunday’s Well to Fitzgerald’s Park and play spot the sculpture: many of them are busts of Republican heroes who spent more than their fair share of time in one jail or another. Spike Island Prison has also just opened as a museum experience if you are interested in turning a similarly-themed exhibition into a daytrip.
Age: 3+. Family ticket (2 adults, 4 children): €25. corkcitygaol.com