our story

About Us

ABOUT

Gaze through the windows of wonder and journey deep into the landscape, history and folklore that inspired our writers.

our VISION

Kerry Writers’ Museum is an institution of national & international standing which promotes the widest understanding and appreciation of County Kerry’s distinctive literary and cultural heritage.

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Our museum is at the heart of the community and is the main driver of tourism in North Kerry. We enrich the lives of young and older people in the local community & beyond through the provision of engaging cultural experiences and a centre for the promotion of Ireland’s storytelling heritage.

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our story

About us

Our story began way back in 1994 with the then newly established North Kerry Literary Task Force. Its core motivating factor was to develop a centre of literary and cultural excellence which would serve as an appropriate venue to honour and acknowledge the County’s literary figures. Construction and refurbishment work commenced on the museum in 1997 and it was officially opened in April 2001. Over the past 22 years our museum has developed into a dynamic community enterprise catering for visitors to Listowel and working with local groups and schools in developing artistic & cultural activities.

Our Team

Cara Trant

Executive Director

ciarán walsh

film & digital media curator

Louise Lynch

Marketing & Events Coordinator

Patricia O’Flaherty

Museum Assistant

MARIA STORAN

Museum Assistant

ciara o’connor

Museum Assistant

Angeline O’Donnell

Tour guide

Vincent O’Brien

Tour guide

Pawel Bieszczanin

Caretaker

SHANE BATTEN

Caretaker

Board Members

David Browne

Chairperson

AIDAN ó MURCHÚ

Vice Chairperson

Sean McCarthy

Treasurer

Jimmy Deenihan

PRO

MADELEINE O’SULLIVAN

Paddy Regan

Bernie Carmody

James Kenny

Marion Walsh

COLETTE O’CONNOR

IAN O’SHEA

KAREN TRENCH

BOB BARKESS

ABOUT

Our Structure

The Museum is a not-for-profit community organisation, formally owned by Kerry Cultural & Literary Centre CLG. Its Board membership is made up of a cross section of the community representing the arts, cultural, education, community and business sectors in North Kerry.

The Company’s primary objective as outlined in its Memorandum & Articles of Association is to establish and develop an Arts and Cultural Centre in the town of Listowel for the benefit of the public as a whole; to advance the unique artistic, musical and literary tradition of the Irish people. Our museum was a key development in securing Listowel’s designation as a Heritage Town from Fáilte Ireland. We also played an integral role in Listowel’s inclusion in the pilot Historic Town initiative in 2011.

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our story

Our Supporters

We would like to sincerely thank the following for their generous and ongoing support of our museum:

Edward Bolger

Anna Buckley

Kevin Cronin

Jimmy Deenihan

Barbara Finlay

Gabriel & Brenda Fitzmaurice

Norma Foley

Seamus Given

Paddy Glavin

Tony Guerin

Billy Keane

Anita Kelly

Finbar Kennelly

Bridie Kennelly Harkness

Keelin Kissane

Gerard Leahy

Con Lynch

Finbar Mawe

Padraig Mawe

Matt & Mary Mooney

Martin Moore

Bryan MacMahon (Ballyheigue)

Brian McCarthy, Fexco

Con & Ann McCarthy

Darach & Christine McCarthy

Joan & Peter McCarthy

Niall McMonagle

Luke Moriarty

Jerry O’Connor

Shay O’Donovan

Éamonn Ó hArgáin

Simon & Joanna O’Flynn

Éamonn Ó Murchú

Ned & Madeleine O’Sullivan

Catherine Pierse & John Hennessy

Brian Purcell

Rose Wall

John R. Walsh

Marion Walsh

Michael & Eilish Wren

our story

Museum Standards

In 2018 Kerry Writers’ Museum (KWM) was awarded Full Accreditation in the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI). This Programme, an initiative of the Heritage Council of Ireland, aims to benchmark and raise professional standards in the museum sector. A voluntary programme, it has attracted involvement from across the cultural spectrum, from national institutions to small volunteer-led organisations.

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ABOUT

Our Mission

Kerry Writers’ Museum collects, safeguards, holds in trust, displays and interprets a variety of material and objects relating to the rich literary heritage of County Kerry, and the cultural, social & political heritage of Listowel & North Kerry. We provide a wide range of socially inclusive cultural & educational events & activities for the lifelong discovery and enjoyment of the works & lives of the Kerry writers and the cultural, social & political heritage of Listowel and North Kerry.

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In fulfilment of this Mission, the museum aspires to:

  • Communicate the work of the Kerry writers to the widest possible audience.
  • Enhance the visitor experience at Kerry Writers’ Museum through the provision of creative, engaging and informative exhibits.
  • To develop, strengthen and sustain the Museum’s role as a cultural organisation through organizing exhibitions, targeted activities and other outreach programmes.
  • To provide specialist services for researchers, students and the general public by continually developing, documenting and promoting our collection.

FUTURE VISION

Listowel Greenway Development

As part of the regeneration of Listowel as the main tourism hub for the greater North Kerry region, and linked with the newly opened Kingdom of Kerry Greenway, Kerry Writers’ Museum has been chosen by Kerry County Council for redevelopment which will transform our museum into a multifunctional co-working, tourism, heritage, and cultural building. Over the next 4 years we will undertake a programme of refurbishment of our museum building to provide the local community and visitors to Listowel with new and exciting facilities.

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

NEWSLETTER

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