Fears for the future of Kilmallock Museum, a focal point of the local community 

Kilmallock Museum has been struggling to generate revenue after having to close its doors for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kilmallock Museum has been struggling to generate revenue after having to close its doors for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic

Kilmallock Museum has been struggling to generate revenue after having to close its doors for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Housed in an old cottage, the museum is a focal point of the local community containing artefacts from village days gone by. 

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Run by Kilmallock Historical Society, the cottage museum serves as an introduction to the heritage of the medieval fortress town of Kilmallock.  

The museum’s main attraction is a beautiful model that shows what the walled town of Kilmallock looked like in 1597.

If the museum is to continue to tell the tale of Kilmallock’s history, it needs to be modernised and receive funding. Locals are encouraging city dwellers to take a trip out to Kilmallock and the museum to witness its history for themselves.

Kilmallock Historical Society has, for many years, regularly use the museum as a location for remembrance ceremonies and local history celebrations.

Open seven days a week, the museum houses a number of interesting artefacts. These include a collection of tools that showcases what farming, rural, industrial, and home life was like for someone living in Kilmallock in the 19^th and 20^th Centuries.

On the outer wall of the museum is a plaque that lists the names of 22 soldiers from Kilmallock who died during World War I. Inside, a banner of the 8^th Munster Fusiliers, made by Limerick nuns in 1916, is hanging on the wall.

Visitors are welcomed into the cosy cottage with a warm open fire on the converted ground floor of a domestic home. The intimate setting of the museum allows them to connect with history on a personal level.

The old cottage has huge sentimental value in the community, as many remember it as the home of locals down through the years.

Kilmallock is a Norman town and was the centre of Ireland’s political development from the 13^th through to the 17^th Century.

Kilmallock’s name comes from a monastery there founded by St. Mocheallóg in the late 6^th Century. The medieval town, once a major centre for religion and trade, is filled with vibrant culture and heritage which is visible at Kilmallock Museum.

Known for its imposing gates as well as an impressive 12th Century church, Kilmallock was a stronghold of the Earls of Desmond, which is evident in the unique and urban landscape of the town.

For more information on Kilmallock Museum, go HERE 

For more history stories, go HERE