The Award Winning Donegal Railway Museum is delighted to announce the opening of a new exhibition titled the “550 Donegal Town Anniversary Exhibition” at the Museum. This event is the Museum’s contribution to the Anniversary year and is the first official 550 event of the year.
Niall McCaughan, Manager of the Railway Museum stated: “The town that the County takes its name from has a fantastic history to it, and is one that needs to be told, to locals and to visitors. This is of particular importance in the town’s 550th Anniversary. We had always felt that the town itself did not have a central place where its unique story could be told. There were bits and pieces of the story told at various locations, however, there really was a need for somewhere centrally where people could go to learn about it, and more interestingly, come across it in unusual settings, particularly in the anniversary year.
Thus back in 2023 we sought and were awarded funding from Donegal Council’s Culture & Creativity Project Awards Scheme to create a mobile exhibition which gathered this information, and using artefacts, display units, pop-ups and other tools, tell our story. We were also delighted to have received contributions for our displays from three landmark organisations in Donegal Town, Magee 1866, Hanna Hats, and Donegal Castle. This exhibition will run not only in the museum itself, but will be taken out and about to community groups, schools, retail outlet, etc., where we can directly inform and educate all, on the history of this important town.”
This project was kindly funded through Donegal Culture & Creativity Project Awards Scheme, promoting collaboration and fostering creativity as envisaged in the Creative Ireland programme. Creative Ireland is a culture-based programme designed to promote individual, community and national well-being and is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and Donegal County Council. Anyone interested in hosting the exhibition during this anniversary year should contact the museum directly.
