The Royal Society of Antiquaries (RSAI ) launched their exhibition “Rubbing Shoulders with the Dead” which has received support from Carlow Local Authorities through Carlow County Museum and the Community & Enterprise Department.
The event took place recently in their building at 63 Merrion Square, Dublin 2
The Royal Society of Antiquaries was originally founded in the mid 19th century as the Kilkenny Archaeological Society and in the early years of the 20th century it moved to Dublin and changed to its current name. In 2009, the Society will celebrate its 160th anniversary and discussions about the Society visiting County Carlow during their historic year, are at an early stage.
The Society has been located in a late Georgian town-house at 63 Merrion Square since 1917, nearly half the life of the Society.
In order to aid their fundraising and to promote their profile, the Society has decided to organise a series of exhibitions with lunchtime talks based around their collections. The first of these was based on the 19th century grave rubbings taken by members of the Society including some by Carlow’s Philip Doyne Vigors. These rubbings, some of which are up to nine feet in length, are on linen and calico and show the detail of either headstones or burial tombs. One of the most interesting of these rubbings is that taken at St Mullins. Included in this particular rubbing are rare images of five Irish saints - St Mullins himself, St Patrick, St Brigid, St Columcille and St James.
The other exhibition link to County Carlow is the Vigors family from Leighlinbridge and the Royal Oak and in particular to their coordination during the late 19th and early 20th century of the “Association for the Preservation of the Memorials of the Dead”. This national organisation which published graveyard and headstone inscriptions, was coordinated by Philip Doyne Vigors from his house at Holloden at the Royal Oak.
Due to the rarity and quality of the five Irish Saints from the St Mullins grave rubbing, the society decided to reproduce them as a series of greeting cards with the support of Carlow Local Authorities. The exhibition is open to the public during the month of September in 63 Merrion Square and on September the 16, 23 and 30 of September the Society will hold special lunchtime lectures based around the exhibition.
For further details about the exhibition or to purchase a set of the unique Carlow greeting cards, please contact the RSAI at 01-6761749 or checkout www.rsai.ie
