18/10/2026
⚓️ Lusitania – The Next Chapter
An evening of art, history and the future of the Lusitania Museum
Join us at St.Catherine's Cultural Centre Kinsale Thursday 5 November for a special evening marking the next chapter in the story of the Lusitania Museum & Old Head Signal Tower.
The evening will feature two special guest presentations:
🎨 A Portrait of Hugh Lane: A Life Cut Short | Áine Andrews
The portrait of Hugh Lane by John Singer Sargent shows an elegant, somewhat languid figure in a striped waistcoat, clutching gloves to his chest, with a romantic, far-away, even melancholic expression. The sitter is perhaps best known as Lady Gregory’s nephew, but Sir Hugh Lane was a very successful art dealer in London and occupied a unique place in the Edwardian art world. He was a philanthropist, as well as a patron of modern art who, bought important of Old Master paintings and sold them to collectors in London, South Africa and New York. By 1914, Hugh Lane was director of the National Gallery of Ireland and had amassed a wonderful collection of Impressionist paintings. His aim was to donate it to the city of Dublin by creating a purpose-built gallery of modern art but unfortunately, an unsigned codicil to his will, led to an ongoing legal dispute between London and Dublin. Hugh Lane was born in Cork in 1875, but never returned, until with tragic irony, he died on the ill-fated Lusitania in 1915 within sight of the Cork coastline.
Áine Andrews presents the very popular art appreciation series Famous Paintings and their Hidden Histories at the Triskel Arts Centre Cork. Each lecture examines one painting in detail while exploring its meaning, historical context, the artist and links to society of the time, as well as the often fascinating journey of the painting to its present location. Now a practising artist, Áine studied at Crawford College of Art and Design and worked for many years as an art teacher at Coláiste/Gaelcholáiste Choilm Ballincollig Cork during which time she regularly organised art history study trips for students at home and abroad. She is the author of several school text-books. The most recent, New Appreciating Art -Visual Studies for Leaving Certificate (2022), was co-authored with Aidan O Sullivan, and published by Gill Education to cover the new art history syllabus introduced in 2021 for Senior Cycle art.
🚢 Mike Brady | Oceanliner Designs
Joining us in person from Australia, our friend Mike Brady, the maritime researcher, illustrator and creator of Oceanliner Designs, will share his expertise and passion for the great ocean liners of history. Oceanliner Designs has grown into one of the world’s largest maritime history channels, with almost one million subscribers and more than 200 million views on YouTube.
The evening will also mark the official launch of our new fundraising campaign for the Lusitania Museum, including the premiere of a brand-new campaign video created by Made to Measure Films Ireland Ltd, featuring members of our volunteer committee and Lusitania relatives.
We will also provide an update on Phase 3 – the development of the new Lusitania Museum, including the progress made to date and our plans for the road ahead.
After almost two decades of community-led work, the project is now entering a crucial new chapter.
Your support can help us turn the vision of a dedicated Lusitania Museum into reality - Please join us.
Doors: 7pm | Event: 7.30pm
Tickets: €20
Tickets available now at our website
