An exciting new exhibit, “The Irish Legacy: Immigration and Assimilation in the Connecticut Valley during the Industrial Revolution,” will run June 11 through August 25 at the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History at the Springfield Museums. You don’t have to be from the Emerald Isle to appreciate this intriguing exhibit that will explore the struggle of...
An exciting new exhibit, “The Irish Legacy: Immigration and Assimilation in the Connecticut Valley during the Industrial Revolution,” will run June 11 through August 25 at the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History at the Springfield Museums. You don’t have to be from the Emerald Isle to appreciate this intriguing exhibit that will explore the struggle of Irish immigrants. Here are 5 Great reasons to check it out…
1. According to Guy McLain, director of the Wood Museum, “this exhibit brings to life the development of the Irish community in the Valley over the last two centuries.” Visitors to the exhibit will get a glimpse of many traditional Irish objects of cultural and historical significance on loan from the Irish Cultural Center in Chicopee, including instruments like the bodhrán, religious objects like the St. Brigid Cross, and even a traditional Irish dance costume and shoes.
2. The exhibit includes also includes a host of photographs depicting what life was like for the Irish immigrants in the Valley, along with images of individuals and events that have shaped the Irish experience in Western Massachusetts. The bulk of the photographs come from the book titled “The Irish Legacy: A History of the Irish in Western Massachusetts,” part of the Heritage Book and Travel series by The Republican newspaper that explores the experiences of the Valley’s many immigrant groups.
3. A key element of the exhibit is a video documentary interview with ninety-three year old Michael Carney, one of the last surviving Blasket Islanders, who immigrated to Springfield in the 1940s. Carney himself has just written a memoir titled “From the Great Blasket to America: The Last Memoir by an Islander.”
4. Along with the exhibit itself, the museum will be hosting educational programs including a teacher workshop and drop-in activities in the Wood Museum of Springfield History. On Tuesdays throughout the summer, staff from the Irish Cultural Center will present the Celtic Cart, which will enable visitors to participate in Irish-related activities and games designed to support the exhibit.
5. “The Irish Legacy” exhibit is being presented in conjunction with the forthcoming production of The Garden of Martyrs, an opera written by Amherst composer Eric Sawyer. The opera is based on the novel of the same name by Michael C. White, detailing the 1806 murder trial and hanging of Irish immigrants James Halligan and Daniel Daley.
General admission is $15.00 for adults, $10 for seniors and college students, $8 for children 3-17, and free for children under three and museum members. This fee provides admission to all four Springfield Museums. Springfield residents receive free general admission with proof of address.