Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Marriage Equality Referendum

At Collins Barracks, Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th May

The Museum is delighted to announce the launch of a new LGBTQIA+ tour at Collins Barracks 
This new guided LGBTQIA+ tour views the exhibitions through alternative lenses, bringing some hidden histories and perspectives to the fore. Focusing on objects and individuals from the 17th to the 21st century, the tour reveals a wide variety of identities, genders and sexualities along the way. 

Dr El Reid Buckley, engaged by the Museum to collaborate on developing the tour, spoke about their work on researching and writing this LGBTQIA+ tour,

 “It’s been a privilege to work on this tour for the National Museum of Ireland at this time when the rights of queer, trans and other marginalised people are being threatened at social, cultural and political levels across the globe. In the face of this, I hope that this tour can give some much-needed voice and visibility to these communities under threat and demonstrate that diversity in terms of genders and sexualities has been consistent across history. However, this tour is not only about asserting that queer and trans people have always existed, but also about giving the space for all of us to learn, question and grow in relation to how certain histories, perspectives and lives have been obscured and omitted from ‘official’ records.” 

Museum Director Lynn Scarff adds that 

“The tour will offer visitors a rich and informative historical tour of the Museum through an LGBTQIA+ lens and encourage discussion, engagement and learning amongst participants. The tour is targeted not only at the LGBTQIA+ community, but also for visitors interested in ‘hidden’ or overlooked histories and students at post primary level. We’re delighted to present this new strand of programming which meets our strategic goals in terms of sharing knowledge and community engagement.” 

Speaking about the process to develop the new tour, the Museum’s Education Officer at Collins Barracks, Helen Beaumont said  

“It’s been amazing to collaborate with so many brilliant stakeholders and groups from the LGBTQIA+ community on this project. The principle of consultation has underpinned the development of the tour, and the concept of ‘nothing about us without us’. We’ve been privileged to work with a diverse range of LGBTQIA+ community groups and individuals to advise and steer the development of the tour script.”

In parallel to the development of the tour the Museum’s website features a new section  for anyone looking to dig deeper into this history, with a bibliography, glossary, further information and links. There’s also an acknowledgments section to thank all those who have supported this project as advisors. 

End of Press Release:
Notes to the Editor
Highlights of this guided tour include the non-conformist chair by world renowned designer and architect Eileen Gray 

A Pair of doeskin gauntlets gifted by William III 

Artefacts belonging to some of the women caught up in Ireland’s revolutionary period.

The tour spans the establishment of the Barracks itself to Ireland’s passing of the Marriage Equality Referendum in 2015,

Schedule of Tours on Saturday 24th May
All tours start at the Museum Reception 
11 am
12 noon
13.00 (ISL Interpreted)
14.00
15.00
16.00

Schedule of Tours on Sunday 25th May
All tours start at the Museum Reception 
14.00
15.30

This tour is an effort to highlight the rich diversity of lives and experiences on the island of Ireland across time, however not a complete or comprehensive LGBTQIA+ history of the collection at Collins Barracks.

Contact names:
Brian Houlihan- Marketing Dept, National Museum of Ireland
086 4110798

-Available for comment or interview
Dr El Reid Buckley,  Curator/Researcher for the LGBTQIA+ tour
elreidbuckley@gmail.com
Helen Beaumont, Education Officer at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks.
Lynn Scarff, Director of the National Museum of Ireland