Education Activities
We pride ourselves with the variety of different activities organised in and around the museum over the years – walks, talks, ‘hands-on’ sessions, prehistoric technology demonstrations, exhibitions, seminars, provision of worksheets, ‘trails’ etc.
We are delighted to welcome groups of all kinds to the museum, and the curator is happy to talk to such groups, once an arrangement has been made beforehand (contact info@westkerrymuseum.com).
She is also available to act as a tour guide for visiting groups, particularly those who might be interested in visiting some of the many hundreds of wonderful archaeological sites on the peninsula. We are constantly working on new projects, and welcome ideas from our visitors and stakeholders with regard to what they would like to see provided. Don’t be shy!
Below you will be able to read about some of the projects we have been involved in over the years, many in conjunction with our parent organisation, Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne.
West Kerry Live
For several summers now, the curator has been writing short articles on various topics relating to the archaeology of Corca Dhuibhne for the free fortnightly publication, West Kerry Live ( https://www.westkerrylive.ie/). The curator is grateful to Mossy and Lorcán, the managers of the magazine, for all their support during the past few years.
Guided Tours and Illustrated Talks
The curator is available to groups to provide guided tours of the museum, and also to sites of archaeological interest in the area. She is also available to give illustrated talks on various aspects of Irish Archaeology, but more particularly the Archaeology of the Dingle Peninsula. This area is rich in archaeological remains, and it would be a pity not to visit some of them while you are in the area. Having a knowledgeable guide will make such visits all the more enjoyable.
Walking Route Guides
Five walking route guides have been published, Nos 1-4 thanks to generous grant aid provided by the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, with reprints funded by Údarás na Gealtachta who also funded the cost of No. 5.
In the majority of these walks, each route begins and ends at the museum, and will guide you through different parts of the area around Baile an Fheirtéaraigh, indicating sites of archaeological and other interest.
The fifth guide is for Cosán na Naomh, the Saints’ Path. All are available in the museum. Further information can be found here
Corca Dhuibhne 3d
In the autumn of 2015, Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne/Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne, at the invitation of the Discovery Programme and the Ogham in 3D project, held an introductory session in Baile an Fheirtéaraigh to introduce people to the concept of producing 3D models of carved stone antiquities (with the emphasis initially on ogham stones) using the Structure from Motion (SfM) technique.
Worksheets
Several worksheets are available for younger visitors, and for learners of Irish. The first one devised was based on the permanent exhibition (currently only available as Gaeilge). Another is on the topic of the nearby monastic site at An Riasc, available in Irish or in English. There is worksheet on the topic of Pilgrimage/St Brendan/Cosán na Naomh, also available in Irish or in English, and another about the promontory fort at Dún an Óir, a National Monument, at which an infamous siege and subsequent massacre took place in 1580.. We are grateful to the support received from the Heritage Council and the Scheme to Assist Local and Regional Museums in the preparation of these worksheets.
A larger view of the worksheets can be had by clicking on the image. These .pdf documents can be downloaded by clicking on the Download link above the image. Each File consists of 4 pages which be printed off and used in the classroom. These files are quite big (6 – 11Mb) and so a fast internet connection is required.
