Last year the wonderful publication ‘A History of Ireland in 100 Objects’ by Fintan O’Toole won the Best Irish Published Book of the Year in the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards. The book is based on the weekly series that was published in the Irish Times newspaper which featured a different object each week. The project was undertaken in association with the National Museum of Ireland and the Royal Irish Academy.
All of the objects are part of public collections both here in Ireland and abroad. We are delighted in Carlow County Museum that the magnificent 19th century hand carved pulpit from Carlow Cathedral has been included in the list. The pulpit was removed from the Cathedral in the mid 1990s as part of its major renovations. The pulpit is now on display on the first floor of Carlow County Museum, it is by far our largest object standing at approximately twenty feet. Pop in and have a look for yourself.
Last December Dr. Louise Nugent, Pilgrimage in Medieval Ireland visited the Museum and has written a piece about the pulpit. We are delighted to share it with you. Thanks Pilgrimage in Medieval Ireland for writing this piece.
I am getting a copy of Fintan O Toole’s A History of Ireland in 100 Objects as an Xmas present, I cant wait. The book like the title says tells the history of Ireland through 100 artefacts. The chosen objects take us through the history of people in Ireland over 7,000 years, from a simple fish trap of the earliest inhabitants of the island to the first mass-produced microprocessor.
Off the back of this book there is a historic trail which allows the visitor to go and see the objects at the museums they are housed at. Last week as I happened to be in Carlow for the launch of the Carlow Archaeological and Historical Society Journal Carloviana, I began the trail with object No 85 which is housed at the Carlow County Museum.
The trail does not demand you to start with any one object and it really allows…
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