Museum extends policing exhibition

The National Museum of Ireland - Country Life in Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo, has announced an extension to its exhibition, 'Preserving the Peace: Policing on the Island of Ireland 1814-2014'.

Since opening in June the exhibition has become increasingly popular with schools, amateur genealogists, policing enthusiasts and the public in general. The announcement will see the exhibition extended until 23rd May 2015.

An exciting programme of exhibition events has been developed that will educate and entertain. The calendar begins on 16th January 2015 when the museum will host the first of History Ireland’s Hedge School series for 2015. The evening event will be a lively discussion with a mixture of panel presentation and active audience participation on the topic of Irish policing, past and present. The panel will include Jim Herlihy (Garda Síochána Historical Society), Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley (history lecturer, NUI Galway), John Cunningham (history lecturer, NUI Galway) and Dr Conor McNamara (author and historian).

The museum welcomes Garda Commissioner, Noirín O’Sullivan, back to Turlough Park in February. The Commissioner and Mr Alistair Finlay, Temporary Deputy Chief Constable, Police Service of Northern Ireland officiated at the opening of Preserving the Peace in June. Commissioner O’Sullivan, who joined An Garda Síochána in 1981 and has more than 30 years of professional policing experience, will deliver a talk on Women in Policing on 27th February.

On 27th March, the public is invited to join Dr John O'Shaughnessy of Forensic Science Ireland for an illustrated talk on the history of forensic science. From its original inception and difficult early years to becoming one of the foremost sciences, forensic science now forms an important element of today’s criminal investigations.

Booking is advisable for all events. The National Museum of Ireland-Country Life’s booking office can be contacted on 094 90 31751 or email educationtph@museum.ie.