Celebrate Cruinniú na nÓg at the Museum
Children's books will be celebrated in Mayo for Crinniú na nÓg.
There is an exciting line-up of events taking place at the National Museum of Ireland for Cruinniú na nÓg, which takes place this year on Saturday next, June 7th.
This national initiative celebrates creativity in children and young people and there are a host of free events taking place across Ireland on the day. The National Museum at Turlough Park is delighted to host a very special event by Mayo County Council Library and the Culture and Creativity Team, exploring children’s books with a Mayo connection. The Museum is also holding a full day of drop-in creative crafts with Fiona Deacy where you can make your own seed paper.
Join Fiona Deacy for a hands-on, eco-friendly workshop where creativity meets sustainability, from 11am to 2pm. Learn how to make your own paper using recycled materials and then decorate it with dried flowers and wildflower seeds to create seed paper. This seed paper can be planted at home to grow your very own wildflowers. This will be a relaxed, drop-in workshop with several short sessions running throughout the day, beginning at 11am. Each session is small to ensure a more hands-on experience, so places will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Did you know there are more than 50 children’s books inspired by Mayo places and characters or created by Mayo authors and illustrators? Find out more at the launch of a new Children’s Books of Mayo Map and a display of children’s artworks called ‘Islands of Imagination’.
Local artist Melanie Whelan was commissioned to design and illustrate the map and worked with children across Mayo to create the ‘Islands of Imagination’ artworks. The official launch of the map and artworks takes place at 2pm on Saturday in the main exhibition galleries. No booking is required.
Join two Mayo artists for some hands-on workshops to celebrate the launch of the Children’s Books of Mayo Map. The workshops will be delivered at 1pm and 3pm on Saturday. The artists leading the workshops are Maeve Clancy, whose graphic novel about Kathleen Lynn is featured on the map; and collage artist Anthony D. Kelly, who has used his skills to create his soon-to-be-released book Fleadom. Places are free but booking is required as numbers are limited. Visit museum.ie or Eventbrite for booking details.
Enjoy a series of author book readings taking place throughout the day to celebrate the launch of the Children’s Books of Mayo Map. These book readings are short, informal, drop-in sessions, starting at 11.30am on Saturday, 7 June. The book readings take place near the Trades & Crafts exhibition on Level C of the museum galleries. No booking required. Grab a cushion and enjoy a story!
Create your own character The Islands of Imagination artworks, which go on display on 7 June in the Children’s Activity Area, were created through a series of workshops by Melanie Whelan held across County Mayo. Why not have a go at creating your own character, inspired by this workshop process. A mini-version of the workshop activity will be available in the Children’s Activity Area throughout the day. Children can engage in the creative process to bring their own characters to life.
Museum opening hours Admission to the National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park House & Gardens is free. The exhibition galleries are open Tuesday to Saturday, from 10am to 5pm, and Sunday to Monday from 1pm to 5pm.
