Museum makes history with award win!

Cavan County Museum’s hugely successful Decade of Centenaries commemoration campaign was recognised by the Chambers Ireland ‘Excellence in Local Government Awards’ when it scooped the gong for Best ‘Centenaries and Commemoration’ initiative.

The museum’s 2020 commemorations saw the production of three publications packed full of information on World War I, the Battle of the Somme, 1916, and the War of Independence, and the commissioning of two short films, including ‘A letter from the Trenches’, directed by Alan Bradley and ‘The Messenger’, which shines a light on the often-ignored role of women in the War of independence. The project was funded by the Decade of Centenaries at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, the Creative Ireland programme, and from Cavan County Council’s own resources.

The awards, which were presented by RTÉ’s Mary Kennedy in an online ceremony on Thursday, November 18, marked a successful outing for Cavan as the Cavan-Monaghan Science Festival also won the award for ‘Best Festival’.

Commenting following the ceremony, Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council, Cllr Clifford Kelly hailed the contribution of recently-retired museum curator Savina Donohoe in producing this programme.

“This award is a fitting tribute to the outstanding commemorative work that Savina and her team undertook throughout the Decade of Centenaries and indeed throughout her tenure in Ballyjamesduff. She has left an outstanding legacy, and I know the current museum team is already building on the museum’s impressive output and is committed to further developing what has become one of the nation’s top museums.”

Chief Executive of Cavan County Council, Tommy Ryan, said: “I am delighted that the work of Cavan County Museum has been recognised by the ‘Excellence in Local Government Awards’. The Decade of Centenaries is a complex time in Irish history, and the team at Cavan County Museum has managed to treat the topic with great sensitivity, while making it accessible to a broad audience.”

Director of Service, Eoin Doyle, also praised those involved. “In a crowded field, Cavan County Museum has yet again shown itself to be best-in-class as they have delivered a fantastic commemoration programme. Their short films, ‘A Letter from the Trenches’ and ‘The Messenger’ are stirring, evocative pieces that will stand the test of time, while the specially-commissioned commemorative booklets have proven extremely popular. The team here at the museum have outdone themselves once again.

I wish to also acknowledge the support of the Decade of Centenaries programme and of Creative Ireland, as well as Cavan County Council’s own elected members, who have been unstinting in their support of the museum.”

“On behalf of the team here at Cavan County Museum, I am thrilled to accept this award, which is welcome recognition of our efforts to bring history to life during this Decade of Centenaries. I would like to sincerely thank film director Alan Bradley, museum staff and everyone involved for their hard work and dedication in making these projects a reality. I would be remiss if I did not mention the contribution of my former colleagues, Savina Donohoe, whose contribution to this museum and the cultural landscape of Cavan is beyond measure.

“The entire museum team is excited to continue to deliver high-quality, historically sensitive, and engaging initiatives here for the remainder of the Decade of Centenaries commemorations and beyond”, said acting curator, Gary Martin.

Check out Cavan County Museum’s award-winning short film 'A Letter from the Trenches'