Tour at a glance
Level: Junior and Senior Cycle, Transition Year
Group size: 15
Location: Soldiers and Chiefs, Curators Choice, Out of Storage, We Make Our Own Histories
Duration: 45 minutes
Available: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Booking: Available from February. Please contact bookings@museum.ie to book this session
The harp is one of the most common symbols of Ireland, which we see on everyday objects such as coins, and the shamrock is synonymous with St Patrick’s Day, but did you know that there are lots of other symbols that designers and artists have used over the centuries to express Irish culture and history?
This tour will allow students to explore a range of fascinating Irish symbols through artefacts on display in the Museum. Students will also visit the new ‘We Make Our Own Histories’ exhibition to explore modern Irish symbolism through a series of artworks created by various communities in Ireland, including primary and post-primary students, commissioned by the National Museum of Ireland.
Curriculum links
Junior Cycle History
Section 1: How We Find out about the past
The job of the Historian
Our roots in ancient civilization
Section 2: Studies of change
Political change: Revolutionary movements
Section 3: Understanding the Modern World
Political developments in Ireland in the late 19th century and the 20th century
Social change in the 20th century
Leaving Cycle History
Working with evidence
History and the Historian.
Later Modern field of study: Irish History, 1815-1993
Ireland and the Union, 1815 - 1870
Movements for political and social reform, 1870 - 1914
Junior Cycle Visual Art
Critical and Visual Language
Visual Culture and Appreciation
Art Elements and Design Principles (AEDP)
Media
Leaving Cycle Art
Research Strand
Looking
Experimenting and Interpreting
Contextual Enquiries
Process
Respond Strand
Analysis
Contextual Enquiries
Critical and personal reflection
Process
Learning outcomes
- Develop an understanding of the iportance and variation of symbols ass representation of nationality and identity
- Explore the role Museums and artefacts play in presenting us with various narratives of the past
- Explore socially created artworks to examine changing perceptions of what it means to be Irish
Resources and suggestions
Before your visit
- Visit the Museum in advance, if possible, to get familiar with the layout, key objects and key narratives
- Plan a project around your visit. Students could research key events and organisations
After your visit
Ideas for post-visit activities:
- Ask students to write a review of their museum visit
- Hold a classroom debate or discussion based around the themes explored in the 'Young People's Assembly'
- Consider the value of museums as places to display objects that connect us with our history
- Create your own symbol that you feel represents Ireland for you