For many people history is the big events - 1916, the War of Independence, the hunger strikes - and the major political personalities, be they Éamon deValera, Charles Haughey, or Ian Paisley, but that is not the full story.
History is about the lives of real people and the eras they lived through. Every Irishman at the Somme and at the GPO was an individual with a story to tell and a point of view, who came from a family whose own stories, in their own way, were part of the story of Ireland.
Co Galway is rich in history - when the city being a prosperous trading port in the 15th and 16th centuries, to Aughrim being a theatre of European warfare in 1691, to Gort being a centre of the Irish literary revival in the 1890s.
These too are some of Galway’s big events, but everyone in the city and county has played a part in making Galway what it is today, just as their families had roles - however big or small - in Galway’s story.
Too often the social history of a place and the voice of the ordinary person have been left out, obscured by the big events, or not deemed important enough by historians. However that is set to change with an ambitious new project from the Galway City Museum, the Galway Arts Centre, and the Town Hall Theatre.
These three Galway City Council run institutions are joining forces to mount a project intended to celebrate the history, culture, and heritage of Galway city and county, and give voice to the stories, memories, and memorabilia of Galwegians.
The three institutions are looking for stories, recollections, photographs, letters, old objects, artefacts, artworks, film, etc, that can become part of a massive exhibition that will open in the museum, arts centre, and Town Hall in 2011. The aim is to produce a clear picture of the history of Galway, from the mouths of its own people.
So what is the idea about and what do those behind it want the public to do? An open meeting on the project will take place in the Galway City Museum on Thursday October 7 at 8pm which the public is invited to attend.
The meeting will also seek volunteers and project leaders who would like to work with any of the three cultural institutes to progress this idea. The public will be asked to contribute ideas and make suggestions on what they feel should be covered in such a project. They will also be encouraged to ask questions and find out how to get involved.
“If you have an old sewing machine lying around in the house that you think is interesting, then we think it is interesting and we’d like to talk to you, and hear about the person who owned it,” says Town Hall Theatre manager Mike Diskin. “From such things as this, or collections of old GAA programmes, photographs, letters, etc, we will collect personal stories, and present them to the wider public.
“In 40 years from now children will be learning about the decline of the Catholic Church in Ireland and the rise and fall of the Celtic Tiger. We would like to hear from people who saw the Pope’s visit in 1979 and their experience of the church after that. We would also like to get people’s memories of the first house to be sold for €500,000 in Galway.”
Galway City Museum assistant director Breandan Ó hEaghra says the “project is huge but the time frame is short” and he is encouraging people to get involved.
“We are looking for volunteers, for people who will lead research into areas they are interested in, who will help with research, help build sets, provide assistance in the technical and electronic areas,” he says. “If a person has a story about Claddagh, we will talk to them about that and if it’s something that has potential, that person can lead a team on that, and the museum will provide them with the support mechanisms they need.”
The museum will mount a massive exhibition of items and recollections from the stories they hope to receive from the public. However Mr Ó hEaghra was keen to stress that all items given to the museum will be taken on loan only and will be properly cared for and given back to the owners if they wish.
“It will be an organic exhibition that can be added to over the years,” he says.
The Town Hall Theatre is planning an event celebrating ‘the songs of Galway’. This will not only involve music written by Galwegians, but songs about Galway, and, as Mr Diskin says “the songs people who went dancing in Galway in the 1940s enjoyed listening to”. Again, feedback, memories, and suggestions from the public is sought.
The Galway Arts Centre will be asking artists to reflect on the history and heritage of Galway and on the items collected from the public, and produce works inspired by that for a major exhibition.
“It’s all about creating a sense of community,” says Mr Ó hEaghra. “The main questions it is asking are; Who are we? and where have we come from? This project depends on what the people bring to us. We can’t say to them ‘This is what you are going to see’, but rather let them tell, through their own words and images, the history of Galway.”
For more information see www.galwaycity museum.ie
