Museum opening hours: 10AM to 5PM (Mon-Sat), 12noon-4pm (Sunday)

May Update

 Business Plan & future funding towards staff wages

In order to secure funding towards staff wages for 2019/2020 we are required to submit a business plan to Pobal. The original date for this submission was June however we have formally requested an extension to this date and we have applied to Donegal Local Enterprise Office (LEO) for independent professional support. It is still not known whether we will be allocated support from the LEO and so work on the plan is ongoing to meet the new August deadline.

Volunteers

We have three volunteers now helping out at the centre and one young gentleman coming over from Germany to volunteer during the summer. A local family have offered to provide bed and board for his stay and we are hoping to develop our German offering while he is with us.

We have made contact with Donegal Volunteer Centre and we will be looking to secure more volunteers that can act as tour guides and help out at events.

The Old Weighbridge hut

Work is ongoing in relation to returning the Weighbridge Hut to the diamond. We believe this would be a very useful tool to signpost people down to the centre from the diamond, act as a meeting point for tours and provide a range of information about local service providers.

Town link

We have contacted Donegal County Council in relation to having a painted line on the footpaths linking places of cultural and heritage interest in and around the Town.

Bealtaine Festival

On the 3rd May, Railcar 15 hosted a reminiscence event as part of the Bealtaine festival. Caroline Carr from Donegal County Museum and Niamh Brennan County Archivist brought along items from their collections and there was lots of laughter and a few tales told on the day. Feedback was excellent and everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy the event. We are hoping to organise another event during the summer.

 

 

Genealogy service

We have linked up with a local genealogist; if this is something you are interest in please enquire at backtrack@donegalrailway.com

Bricks4Kidz

Bricks 4 Kidz in Ireland provides project-based programmes designed to teach the principles of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM), to children aged 5-12. The programmes are designed in a fun and challenging way using LEGO®, Technic & Robotics. Specially designed project kits and theme-based models provide the building blocks for the Bricks 4 Kidz approach to educational play and all of these assist in:

  • The reinforcement of age-appropriate STEM concepts
  • The development of an appreciation of how things really work
  • Building self-confidence and problem-solving skills
  • Fostering teamwork and creating friendships
  • The stimulation of children’s lively imagination

We have a school tour booked in June and we will be linking with Bricks4Kidz to trial an event that we can roll out to all schools in the future.

The Askrigg bank Layout

The Askrigg Bank Layout was donated to the organisation a number of years ago and up until two weeks ago is was in storage. We moved this piece to Glenties Museum in the hope the visitors could view and enjoy the piece however give n its size we have been asked to remove the layout as it is taking up too much space. The dimensions needed to be able to display and view this piece would be 26ft x 16ft. This is a highly detailed, intricate layout that travelled to numerous shows in the UK and Ireland and won a number of prestigious awards.

We are looking for somewhere to house this piece, preferably where the public can view and enjoy it,  please let me know if you have any ideas.

Improvements

We are still working through our list of improvements, work to date includes:

  • New entrance created
  • Designated shop space created
  • Donegal & Killybegs layouts linked
  • Improved display and layout

 

 

 

Communities at Work

We exhibited at the Communities at work event on Saturday the 14thApril in the St John Bosco Centre. This event was organised by Donegal South Forum and Donegal Local Development Company.

We also exhibited at a Bundoran Tourism networking event on the 24th April and the Vintage Day at Trummon.

Staff customer Service Excellence training

DLDC have arranged customer service excellence training for staff and more training is to be scheduled for later in the year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vintage Car & Tractor Run

Our vintage car and tractor run is planned for the 17th June. The event will start at with registration at the St John Bosco Centre, Donegal Town and finish at Biddys O’Barnes where refreshments will be available.

Cruinniú na nÓg & FabLab Ballyshannon

A new national day of creativity for children and young people, Cruinniú na nÓg takes place on Saturday 23 June 2018. Cruinniú na nÓg aims to celebrate and encourage children and young people’s participation in culture and creativity through a mix of performances, demonstrations, coding, theatre, workshops, readings and screenings, special events and much more. This variety of events for young people will be free and activity-based, with plenty of opportunities for young people to get doingmaking and creating.

We submitted a proposal to Donegal County Council for funding to run an event as part of Cruinniú na nÓg. This will see us link up with the FabLab Ballyshannon to deliver interactive workshops with the aim of sparking an interest in culture and heritage by integrating history with modern technology and educating through creativity.