Irish dancing dress
The House of Memories team is celebrating St Patrick’s Day with the release of a special new theme featuring Irish related objects for the My House of Memories app.
Liverpool is a vibrant multi-cultural city with unique links to Ireland and a strong Irish community – in the early 19th Century more than 35,000 Irish emigrants settled in the city.
Irish connections can be seen throughout Liverpool’s history and are celebrated in the Museum of Liverpool’s collections – through music and monuments, to traditions, festivals and sport. Indeed, the spiral motif on the floor of the atrium links back to the prehistoric carvings on the Calderstones; evidence of connections to Ireland as long as 4000 years ago.
Our Irish-themed memory suitcase already acknowledges the importance of Irish culture and traditions in Liverpool’s history and so the development of additional Irish app content was a natural progression.
The new app content draws on the Museum of Liverpool’s collections as well as the suitcase, and includes objects such as Barry’s Tea, a traditional Irish dancing dress and a Liverpool Irish Centre membership card.
Although the aim of House of Memories resources is to help stimulate memories and conversations with people who are living with dementia, we know that lots more people will enjoy the app package and exploring our city’s Irish connections.
The release of the Irish package is part of our ongoing commitment to diverse histories. We’re continuing to develop new app packages and you can sign up to the House of Memories e-newsletter to get the latest updates.
You may also be interested in our museum trail about Liverpool’s Irish community. Download a pdf of the trail here, or pick one up from the welcome desk.