March 2004 Edition

IRISH FARMERS' ASSOCIATION & 
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF IRELAND

L to R:
Dr Patrick F. Wallace, Director, National Museum of Ireland; Minister John O'Donoghue; Mr John Dillon, President, 
IFA; Dr Seamas Mac Philib, National Museum of Ireland

Mr John O'Donoghue T.D., Minister for Arts, Sports & Tourism, officially opened the Irish Farmers' Association Millennium Library & Archive on Thursday 4 December 2003.

Mr John O'Donoghue T.D., Minister for Arts, Sports & Tourism, officially opened the Irish Farmers' Association Millennium Library & Archive on Thursday 4 December 2003.

Developed in association with the Irish Farmers' Association and the National Millennium Committee, the Irish Farmers' Association Millennium Library & Archive (Leabharlann agus Cartlann FeirmeoirÌ Aontaithe na hÉireann) is a centre for study and research for national and international scholars. It will strengthen the 

Museum's links with third-level institutions and will act as another incentive to researchers to visit this award-winning museum. This new facility will foster the study of Irish rural life and ethnology and is housed in the National Museum of Ireland—Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo.

It consists of circa 3,000 books and 1,200 journals, 600 boxes of paper resources, 35,000 images and 1,000 prints. These materials were built up by the Irish Folklife Division of the National Museum of Ireland and pertain largely to the folk heritage of Ireland. There is also a set of vernacular architectural drawings, a set of 6-inch Ordinance Survey maps and a video collection undertaken by the National Museum comprising films of now largely extinct folklife practices.

L to R: Dr Patrick F. Wallace, Director,   National Museum of Ireland; Minister John O'Donoghue; Mr John Dillon, President of the IFA

Minister O'Donoghue said "Opening this Library and Archive is a duty I carry out with pride. The indomitable spirit of the Irish farmer is celebrated and documented in this collection. I am sure that scholars from many lands will travel to consult this outstanding compilation of books and documents."

According to the Director of the National Museum of Ireland, Dr Patrick F. Wallace "the location of our Country Life Museum is in the heart of rural Ireland and its purpose which is to explain and display the craft traditions, raw materials and social life of the countryside in the relatively recent past, makes most appropriate the present welcome cooperation between the Museum and the Irish Farmers' Association."

IFA President John Dillon said he was "particularly proud that the Association was in a position to support the development of the IFA Millennium Library Archive which will be a national asset for thousands of people interested in the countryside in the years ahead." He said he "was delighted with the involvement of the National Museum and the fact that the new resource is in the heart of rural Ireland."

Mr Dillon thanked the Millennium Committee and in particular Minister Seamus Brennan for his vision and support for the initiative.

The National Millennium Committee felt that "the Millennium should be marked in ways that were lasting, visionary, and involved as many communities as possible. This project fits all of the criteria. The landscape of Ireland has been shaped and moulded by Irish farmers over the past 2,000 years. In turn, the land has moulded the mindset and character of the Irish people, in ways beyond imagining.

In so doing we have created a folkloric tradition that is the envy of Europe, a wellspring of our imagination and a source of inspiration that should be cherished and preserved. This project, which was the very last to be supported by the Millennium Committee in conjunction with the Irish Farmers' Association and the National Museum, represents an acknowledgement of that tradition, and the part the farming community has in its creation and preservation.

L to R: Dr Patrick F. Wallace, Director, National Museum of Ireland; Minister John O'Donoghue; Mr John Dillon, President, IFA

The Millennium Committee, is delighted to be associated with this venture, and is particularly pleased that it is being housed in this magnificent Museumóso close to the home of Michael Davitt—a man who in his own way was a visionary and shaped both the mindset of a people and its landscape."

This unique and valuable resource is available for research purposes, at no charge, from Monday-Friday: 10.00-12.45, 14.15-16.45pm. Appointments are required and can be made by contacting the National Museum of Ireland—Country Life

The National Museum of Ireland—Country Life comprises of a wide range of artefacts dealing with agriculture, fishing and hunting, clothing and textiles, furniture and fittings, trades and crafts, transport, sports and leisure and religion. Approximately 290,000 people have visited this award-winning Museum, which is a branch of the National Museum of Ireland, since it opened in September 2001.

For further information please contact:

t: 094 90 31773/01 6486 392
m:087 7987 439
f: 094 90 31583
e: tpark@museum.ie