This article is from page 31 of the 2008-03-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 31 JPG
EXHIBITIONS and demonstrations of age-old skills will bring prehis- toric Ireland to life at the Clare Mu- Nol Uuse brat e eee
Heritage Education week will run at the Clare Museum from April 8- 11. The main purpose of the four-day event 1s to generate greater interest and encourage appreciation of Ire- land’s heritage in a practical and pu- Um Rule ICUAaae-NA
The event coincides with the dis- play at the museum of a rare 2500 year old Iron wooden bowl.
The bowl was discovered during excavations along the N18 bypass and the N85 western relief road.
Heritage education week kicks off
on Tuesday, April 8 when specialists Simon and Maria O’Dwyer will give a presentation and demonstration of prehistoric musical instruments of Ireland. Simon has been employed as a heritage specialist by the INTO and the Heritage Council for the past seven years. He has conducted stud- ies into prehistoric and medieval mu- sical instruments in Ireland.
One of the highlights of this event will be Simon’s playing of replica’s of Bronze Age and Iron Age horns.
Three such original Bronze Age horns are displayed in the museum and the event represents for the stu- dents present a unique opportunity to hear and experience these sounds not usually heard in these parts for over 2,000 years.
On Thursday, April 10, students from Clare will get the opportunity to witness a demonstration of the traditional Traveller craft of copper Seon ioperee
The demonstration will be per- formed by members of St. Joseph’s Traveller Training Centre in Ennis.
The copper craft group at the Train- ing centre have been showcasing their skills at festivals and events around Ireland for the past two years.
In March 2007, the centre earned national recognition, when three members showcased the art of cop- per craft at the fourth annual Cork lifelong learning festival.
Last year, the centre also donated seven copper items including buck- ets, pots and scuttles to the Cork
public museum for a permanent dis- eA
It was the first time a permanent display of Traveller culture had been showcased in a national museum.
Metalcraft instructor Brian Cros- sen explained the group were de- lighted to be part of Heritage Educa- tion Week.
“We were out in Barefield Nation- al School during the week doing a similar demonstration. It was a good idea by the school because it’s great for the kids to see the demonstration up close.
“We are going to be doing the same thing for Heritage Week, in the mu- seum, so yeah, I think it’s a good idea because it brings to life for the jae Kae