Clare Museum

22/10/2026

Dúnadh don Lá Saoire Banc
Beidh Músaem an Chláir dúnta ón Satharn 24 Deireadh Fómhair go dtí an Luan 26 Deireadh Fómhair.
Ar oscailt mar is gnáth ón Máirt 27 Deireadh Fómhair.
Deireadh seachtaine saoire banc shona agus sábháilte daoibh go léir!

Bank Holiday Closing
Clare Museum will be closed from Saturday 24th October to Monday 26th October. Open as normal from Tuesday 27th October 2026.
Wishing you all a happy and safe Bank Holiday weekend!

22/10/2026

🎃We're well & truly in the Halloween spirit here at Clare Museum this week!

💡On Tuesday we were joined by Eleanor & Sowparnika from Mary Immaculate College in Limerick who gave 30 children from Knockanean NS an introduction to the world of electrical circuits. In this hands-on workshop the children became young engineers and built haunted houses.

👻Earlier today we were very lucky to be treated to some spooky stories and folklore by Ciara Carew from Clare Libraries. Students from Ennis CBS & Scoil Chríost Rí, Ennis, Co Clare heard all about Jackie the Lantern, Máire Rua, Biddy Early, the Banshee and much more.

🙏Huge thanks to our facilitators and, of course, to the teachers and pupils that visited us here at the museum.

💫For information on what we have planned next week to celebrate Halloween visit the What's On page of our website.

21/10/2026

💫We're very excited to announce our 1st ever Halloween mid-term mini camp, with artist Leigh O'Connell, supported by Creative Ireland Clare.

🎃Children are invited to discover and explore the museum's handling collection, using it as inspiration to write & illustrate their own Halloween story.👻

📍Venue: Clare Museum
🗓Dates: Tues. 27th to Thurs. 29th October
🕥Time: 10.30am to 12.30pm
👫Age: 8-12 year-olds
🆓️This is a free event
‼️Places are limited and must be booked.
(Booking required through Eventbrite link below)

⚠️Please note, this is a 3-day camp & children are required to attend on all 3 days.

Children aged 8-12 years are invited to join artist Leigh O'Connell for mid-term fun & creativity using Clare Museum's handling collection

21/10/2026

🏛️ A chest carried by a Lissycasey man to the United States of America 127 years ago has finally returned to the Banner County and the Clare County Council-run Clare Museum.

📜📝 Born in Lissycasey in 1876, Denis Melican emigrated to Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1899. When Denis left Ireland, he brought his worldly possessions with him in a small chest.

Over the following 127 years, the chest was stored in the attics of Melican family homes in Worcester, Paxton and Spencer, Massachusetts.

🔗 Read more here: https://www.clarecoco.ie/council/newsroom/news/2026/emigrants-chest-returns-clare-after-127-years

16/10/2026

Our latest blog post.

The 1903 Feis an Chláir, and some new information we received about it lately.

Research shared by a member of the public has enhanced our knowledge of the Feis an Chláir in 1903. It also led to the donation of a Feis-related photograph to the collection.

16/10/2026

Last Saturday Clare Museum hosted the Straw Connect Cultural Gathering event. It was the culmination of Anna Scanlan's inspirational Straw Connect project and a vibrant occasion that brought communities together to celebrate shared traditions.

The project's aim was to give greater visibility to cultural traditions and stories from communities whose voices are often underrepresented. By bringing Irish people and migrants together through shared heritage, creativity and cultural exchange, it encouraged people to discover common traditions, exchange knowledge, strengthen mutual understanding and build meaningful community connections.

As part of the project Anna produced an excellent documentary that preserves stories, knowledge and creative practices that might otherwise remain limited to individual workshops or events. The relationships, documentary and exhibition materials developed through Straw Connect provide a foundation for future collaboration between Irish and Eastern European artists, heritage groups and community organisations. These resources support continued cultural exchange and offer potential for lasting impact beyond the funded period.

You can watch and enjoy Anna's fascinating documentary at https://bit.ly/4k0SlkB

Straw Connect was led by Anna Scanlan and supported by Clare County Council’s Creative Ireland Clare Programme, Clare Museum, Clare Local Development Company (CLDC), Inisowiacy Polish Folk Group and Greener Clare.

Through fields, villages, festivals, crafts, music, memories and pe...

13/10/2026

Clare Museum will remain closed on Wednesday 14th October due to official strike action relating to the national public sector pay agreement.
The museum will reopen on Thursday 15th October at 9.30am.
We apologise for any inconvenience.

Public Notice

Closure of County Council Offices, Building and Facilities

Members of the public are advised that all Clare County Council offices, buildings and facilities will be closed to the public on Wednesday, 14 October 2026 due to official strike action relating to the national public sector pay agreement.

Normal opening arrangements will resume on Thursday 15 October.

Meanwhile, emergency response services will continue to be provided, and emergency cover arrangements will remain in place throughout the period of industrial action.

Members of the public requiring emergency assistance should continue to contact the emergency services in the usual way, by dialling 999 or 112.



Fógra Poiblí

Dúnadh Oifigí, Foirgnimh agus Saoráidí na Comhairle Contae

Moltar do bhaill den phobal go ndúnfar oifigí, foirgnimh agus saoráidí Chomhairle Contae an Chláir go léir don phobal Dé Céadaoin, an 14 Deireadh Fómhair 2026 mar gheall ar ghníomhaíocht stailce oifigiúil a bhaineann le comhaontú pá náisiúnta na seirbhíse poiblí.
Osclófar arís mar is gnách an Déardaoin 15 Deireadh Fómhair.

Idir an dá linn, leanfar de sheirbhísí práinnfhreagartha a chur ar fáil, agus leanfaidh socruithe cumhdaigh éigeandála de bheith i bhfeidhm le linn tréimhse na gníomhaíochta tionsclaíoch. Ba cheart do bhaill den phobal a bhfuil cúnamh éigeandála ag teastáil uathu leanúint de theagmháil a dhéanamh leis na seirbhísí éigeandála ar an ngnáthbhealach, trí 999 nó 112 a dhiailiú.

13/10/2026

💫All are welcome to the launch of this wonderful exhibition presented by Creative Places Shannon and the students of St. Aidan's NS, Shannon with artist Ana Colomer.
👉Tuesday 14th October 2026 at 4.30pm in Clare Museum, Ennis

Creative Places Shannon would like to invite you to attend the launch of Museum of Self this afternoon at 4.30pm at Clare Museum, Ennis.

The exhibition is a range of mini-museums made by students at St Aidan's N.S. who had talks from the curator of the Clare Museum, an Historian from the Shannon Historical and Archaeological Society, and the Artist Ana Colomer.

This project was funded by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport as part of their Commemorations fund.

09/10/2026

🥳Happy 26th Birthday to Clare Museum!🥳

🗓️On this day, 9th October, in the year 2000, Clare Museum opened to the public with the 'Riches of Clare' exhibition.

🏦For the past 26 years the Clare County Council-managed museum has fulfilled its mission to collect, preserve, interpret and display the material culture relating to the history of County Clare, both in the museum building and online, as an educational resource and a socially inclusive cultural service for the people of Clare and visiting tourists.
The collection continues to grow, as do the services provided to the community.

👉Visit our website at www.claremuseum.ie to discover and explore all that the museum has to offer.
New visitors, return visitors and old friends are always welcome to enjoy the riches of Clare Museum.💫

30/09/2026

💬✨ The first talk of the new season of the Clare Museum Lecture Series takes place on Wednesday, October 7 at 7.30pm.

Hosted in the Clare County Council-run museum, the first talk is entitled ‘Straw mummers and traditions in Europe’, coinciding with the Straw Connect Cultural Gathering and with Clare Libraries’ History Week.

🔗 Read more: https://clarecoco.ie/council/newsroom/news/2026/clare-museum-lecture-series-returns-new-season