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Our current major temporary exhibition on display is:

Virtual Tour of ‘From Conflict To Division- Donegal 1919-1925’

Enjoy a Virtual Tour of this major Decade of Centenaries exhibition by Donegal County Museum, Culture Division, Donegal County Council  which focuses on the years 1919-1925 in County Donegal. The exhibition topics range from the War of Independence, the Civil War to Partition, the work of the Boundary Commission and the Border, all of which had a significant impact on life in County Donegal and the North West. You can also view the exhibition booklet to discover more about Donegal history.  

The period 1912 to 1923 is perhaps one of the most important in Irish history. The events that occurred during this decade transformed the island of Ireland and have had a lasting legacy on Irish politics and society, right up to the present day. In the 100 years since, the lines between fact and myth have become blurred and the true story of the revolutionary years has been buried but not forgotten.  

This exhibition formed part of the Echoes of the Decade Project developed by Donegal County Museum and Donegal County Archives) and was funded through the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).  

This Virtual Tour was funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media under the Community Strand of the 2021 Decade of Centenaries programme as part of the Decade of Centenaries Initiative 2012-2023. 

 See the Virtual tour here 

Donegal County Museum has curated this exhibition in association with the Donegal County Archives. The 8 Donegal Workhouses were in Carndonagh, Glenties, Ballyshannon, Donegal, Milford, Letterkenny, Stranorlar and Dunfanaghy. The Workhouse is synonymous with the social care system that existed in Ireland prior to Independence, but its role in society has often been overlooked or misunderstood.  This exhibition tells the story of The Donegal Workhouses from the Great Famine to their closure in 1922 and shines a light into the lives of those who spent time in their care.   

There is also an accompanying educational workbook for children.   

Admission is free  

County Donegal was the first county in Ireland to have a full survey of its archaeological sites conducted and published in book form in 1983.  In about 1970 Máiréad Dunlevy from County Donegal who was working at the National Museum of Ireland organised an ‘amateur’ survey conducted by volunteer members of the County Donegal Historical Society with the 110 OSI 6” maps provided by the County Council. In 1979 Dermot Walsh of the Donegal Regional Development Organisation proposed that this survey be put on a professional basis by Donegal County Council using money from the government’s Employment Guarantee Fund. About 35 persons, mainly young archaeology graduates, were employed over the lifetime of the project. The fieldwork took place over 50 weeks between the summers of 1980 and 1981, followed by the preparation of the survey archive and published book. About 4000 sites were inspected of which 2,500 were deemed to date prior to the chosen cut-off date of AD1700. Where appropriate the sites were described, drawn, and photographed on 35mm film. This was a pioneering project in many respects, conducted before the availability of modern survey and IT equipment.  

As part of the 40th anniversary of the survey, Donegal County Museum, who hold the original Field Notes, survey drawings and slides, received grant aid from the Heritage Council’s Heritage Stewardship Fund to digitise the slides and drawings and to create an accompanying exhibition. This unique and important collection includes many never-before-seen photographs and drawings of the archaeological sites surveyed.   

Click here to see a sample of the Digitised slides   

In collaboration with the National Museum of Ireland, Donegal County Museum has unveiled the Rainbow Revolutions digital podium which contains videos, photographs and archival collections which have been carefully sourced and curated to tell the stories of LGBTI+ people in Ireland and the growth of the Irish LGBTI+ rights movement.

This material was first displayed publicly as part of the ground-breaking Rainbow Revolution Trail in 2019 at the National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks. The screens displaying this content are now available across participating members of the Local Authority Museums Network including Donegal County Museum. This is the first historical exhibition, which spans both national and regional Museums, focusing on LGBTI+ history.

The exhibition includes the oral histories of some 42 people, which were captured by RTE film-maker Edmund Lynch in 2013 for his documentary - A Different Country. Many of those interviewed are household names who share their personal experience witnessing the growth of the LGBTI+ rights movement in Ireland. Amongst the well-known people featured are Nell McCafferty, Lydia Foy, Ailbhe Smyth, Rory O’Neill, Tonie Walsh, Sara R Phillips, Gay Byrne, Mary McAleese and Mary Robinson.

Also profiled are a range of photographs, video footage and documents illustrating the emergence of the LGBTI+ rights movement in Ireland, shedding a light on themes such as building the community, law reform, early activism, the AIDS Memorial Quilt project, Pride Through the Years, Marriage Equality, Gender Recognition and historic Irish trans people.

Judith McCarthy, Curator, “We are delighted to be able to bring this incredible project to Donegal with the support of the National Museum of Ireland and the Rainbow Revolution Committee.  This project is the start of further work to ensure our local Donegal LGBTQ+ communities are an intrinsic part of the histories reflected in our museums.”

The Rainbow Revolutions digital podium is available to view in Donegal County Museum, High Road, Letterkenny and admission is free.

Donegal County has curated numerous exhibitions on the history and heritage of County Donegal   

Here are a just selection of them:

  • 'From Leaders To Exiles' - The Flight of the Earls 
  • The Plantation of Ulster  
  • The Ulster Covenant 1912
  • Connection and Division - Donegal 1910-1930
  • The Railways of Co Donegal 
  • Remembering World War I- The Donegal Story 
  • County Donegal in 1916 
  • Donegal & the Easter Rising &‘Dún na nGall agus Éirí Amach na Cásca' 
  • Donegal Local WWI Heroes 
  • 'A Vanished World' - The Landed Gentry of County Donegal 
  • 'A Long Farewell' - The Emigration of Donegal Women 1845 - 1955  

For further information on any of these exhibitions contact Donegal County Museum  museum@donegalcoco.ie  

Donegal County Museum has curated numerous exhibitions over the years, here are those that are available to view on-line:   

Virtual Tour of From Conflict To Division- Donegal 1919-1925’ 

Enjoy a Virtual Tour of this major Decade of Centenaries exhibition by Donegal County Museum, Culture Division, Donegal County Council which focuses on the years 1919-1925 in County Donegal. The exhibition topics range from the War of Independence, the Civil War to Partition, the work of the Boundary Commission and the Border, all of which had a significant impact on life in County Donegal and the North West. You can also view the exhibition booklet to discover more about Donegal history. 

The period 1912 to 1923 is perhaps one of the most important in Irish history. The events that occurred during this decade transformed the island of Ireland and have had a lasting legacy on Irish politics and society, right up to the present day. In the 100 years since, the lines between fact and myth have become blurred and the true story of the revolutionary years has been buried but not forgotten. 

This exhibition formed part of the Echoes of the Decade Project developed by Donegal County Museum and Donegal County Archives) and was funded through the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). 

This Virtual Tour was funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media under the Community Strand of the 2021 Decade of Centenaries programme as part of the Decade of Centenaries Initiative 2012-2023. 

 See the Virtual tour here 

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