Heritage Week 2024
Welcome
Kerry Writers’ Museum contributes to Heritage Week with an exciting programme of free workshops, screenings and talks that explore the heritage value of film and digital media used to generate personal and community memories and networks.
Daily screenings hosted by filmmakers will celebrate a vibrant and diverse movement in storytelling-in-film that has a long history in North Kerry; beginning with travelling road shows in the 1920s and continuing at the cutting edge of Irish art and climate activism.
Programme of Events
Pinhole Camera Workshop
Kerry Writers’ Museum celebrates photography in its most elemental form with a workshop by Harry Moore, an inspirational “artivist” and a leading exponent of pinhole photography in Ireland.The pinhole camera is the ancestor of box cameras that became popular from the 1870s onwards, the most famous being the “Brownie” that Kodak introduced at the beginning of the 20th century.
Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th August
10 am to 4 pm
Going to the Fleadh Nua (1974)
Michael Mulcahy bought his first movie camera in 1963 and made a short, silent film of members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Templeglantine travelling to the Fleadh Nua in Ennis in 1974. Members of the Listowel Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann reconnect with the fleadh’s legacy and provide a new musical accompaniment. Ian O’Shea will interview Mulcahy about his involvement in film and music networks, his memory of filming at the fleadh, and how this film contributes to our understanding of the cultural impact of that event.
Monday August 19th at 7 pm
The Art of Filmmaking on the Farm
We take to the road and showcase the work of leading contemporary artists Lisa Fingleton and Laura Fitzgerald. They use video and humour to create work that is grounded in rural Ireland and explores global issues like climate change, food systems, community engagement, colonial legacies, conflict and magic. The “field” chosen for this roadshow is The Barna Way Organic Farm, Ballybunion, a wildlife sanctuary and arts centre, founded as a creative and community-based, sustainability and biodiversity project.
Tuesday August 20th at 7 pm
Killing of Pig (1978)
We move to Kissane’s farmyard in Cloontubbrid for a screening of the digitally restored version of John Lynch’s 1978 short film of the butchering of a pig, an important event in the economy of every rural family and a masterclass in social realism filmmaking. (Contains graphic scenes that viewers may find disturbing. A bus transfer will operate between Kerry Writers’ Museum to Kissane’s farmyard)
Wednesday August 21st at 8.30 pm
Making Movies: A workshop in 8mm and 16mm filmmaking
Michael Mulcahy and John Lynch join Sarah Arnold and Carolann Madden of the department of Media Studies at Maynooth University to present a workshop in 8mm and 16mm film and editing. This a practical workshop with hands-on experience of the iconic Bolex 16mm camera and a range of other cameras, projectors and editing systems. No experience necessary, just an interest and, if you have a movie camera, bring it along.
Saturday August 24th – 10 am to 4 pm
Any old film in the attic?
Kerry Writers’ Museum and the department of Media Studies at Maynooth University extend an invitation to people to bring “home movies” and other recordings on celluloid film, VHS tape and digital formats to a “clinic” where you can get an assessment of what you have and discuss how best to conserve, digitise, archive and share your collections.
Mike Guerin, photographic historian, author and YouTuber, will demonstrate various approaches to digitisation and online publication at 12 noon.
Sunday August 25th – 10 am to 4 pm
All events during National Heritage Week are free of charge but must be booked in advance. Click HERE to book your place.
REVIEWS
What people are saying about us
Popped in here to escape the rain and get a cup of tea and cake. Very reasonable prices and great service. Then noticed the little hare jumping around on the wall when I used the toilets! Looked very intriguing and prompted us all to buy tickets to the museum. Wow! So worth it as the exhibits and the way it was presented was lovely, really unusual. So informative and so different to other museums. Really good value for money and a real highlight to the town.
Great Service (Trip Advisor Review)
– March, 2023
Most impressive is how ingrained in both The Creative & local communities The Seanchaí is, from the workshops, coffee mornings & plain old drop ins, To Book launches, poetry recitals, projects & engagements with the local schools. The Seanchaí is a much loved and universally treasured cultural icon. By the inhabitants of Listowel, most of Co. Kerry and West Limerick.
Mark Ollerhead (Google Review)
– March, 2023
We had requested the 30-minute tour, but happily lingered for an hour longer than we had planned. As we exited, we looked at each other and laughed out loud at our good fortune. We could have so easily missed this experience that left us feeling moved, intrigued and a bit more educated about the Kerry writers. In our delight, we failed to tip our guide but I will be going to your donations page to make a modest pledge in gratitude for our host whose name we did not record to memory.
Jane Braswell (Google Review)
– March, 2023
Our visit to the Kerry Writers Museum was a very memorable experience from beginning to end. Cara, who was working at the centre that day, was very welcoming and most helpful. The exhibition of the Kerry writers was imaginative and most engaging. The seanchai relating the background stories each writer was magic! A wonderful experience all round.
Cara (Google Review)
– May, 2021
This museum has been developed with great care and meticulous attention to detail. The audio elements are matched perfectly to the installations which are beautifully presented. The option to activate the audio guides in each room without resorting to the use of handheld devices worked very well. This is a must see/hear for anyone with an interest in Irish writing. There is also a little coffee shop and gifts on sale.
Beautifully Curated (Trip Advisor Review)
– July, 2019