History of Irish Childhood Talks

History of Irish Childhood Talks on 19 August 2017

Explore the history of Irish children and childhood at the National Museum of Childhood Event Day in Dún Laoghaire on Saturday, 19 August 2017. Dr Marnie Hay, a lecturer in history at DCU, is the organiser and chair of a panel session entitled Three Centuries of Irish Childhood that includes Dr Gaye Ashford, a history graduate of the former St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra. Ashford says her illustrated talk will look at ‘the history of eighteenth-century Irish children’s leisure and play activities, which occurred indoors and outdoors, and at the ways in which toys were used as a tool to bring children into the world of the consumer, something we are all familiar with today!’ The session also features talks on aspects of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Irish childhood by Mary Hatfield (TCD) and Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley (NUI Galway) respectively.

Three Centuries of Irish Childhood begins at 11 am in the Martello Suite of the Royal Marine Hotel, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, Dublin. Admission is FREE, though booking at www.eventbrite.ie is recommended.

This history session is only one of many free activities on offer as part of the National Museum of Childhood Event Day in Dún Laoghaire to raise awareness about the proposed National Museum of Childhood, an initiative designed to celebrate and engage in the spirit of childhood. Further information about the full range of events for people of all ages is available here.