New Tipperary Museum initiative will create memories, enjoyment and interactive learning

Clonmel Show is donating €5,000 to help the Tipperary  Museum of Hidden History to bring its Museum in a Box” initiative to schools, community groups and health care settings.

The Museum in A Box or Memory Box is a box containing 14-16 objects based on the museum’s collection or a specific theme, some originals and some replicas.

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Schools, community groups and health care specialists, who cannot visit the museum, are able to reserve the box and handle elements of the museum’s collection up-close.

It comes with a beautifully designed resource booklet, which describes and explains the uses of the objects and a host of projects to support the facilitator or teacher using the box.
The initiative began in 2021 with the theme of Hearth and Home, which celebrates domestic life in Ireland over the past 200 years.

The other box is Fun and Games. It offers an interactive learning experience, which gives people an opportunity to handle the objects.

They can also take part in activities and read information that tells them more about where the objects came from.
Clonmel Show has been a strong supporter of local charities through the years, and this initiative is very much part of that support.

The donation will help Tipperary Museum of Hidden History to expand the Museum in a Box initiative and give more people a chance to experience the museum’s treasures.

Marie McMahon Curator at TMHH stated “The financial support from the Clonmel Agricultural Show Committee is incredible.
We have been working closely with the committee since their 150th anniversary and exhibition in 2015.

In that same year, we created our much-loved TownFarm, the prelude to the annual Clonmel Show Day in July.
The Town Farm was established to introduce farming animals, demonstrators to our schools, community and the general public.

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It’s an opportunity to invite traditional craft-skilled experts and to bus in school children from an 8km radius.

The Town Farm is situated in the centre of Clonmel’s Kickham Green.
This year it will be set up on Friday 22nd May 2026.

Ms McMahon also said, “It is our intention to work with artist Leisa Gray to create the farming themed Museum in a Box.
The project links in with our Hands of Heritage Project which was created to invest in local traditional artists, heritage craftsperson’s and ensure we bring an awareness of traditional skills and crafts to our community.

Again, I’d like to thank the Clonmel Agricultural Show Committee for their generosity and support of Tipperary Museum of Hidden History”.

Schools and community groups can reserve the box.

Museum staff will deliver the box and show them how to use it and then take it back.

There are no fees associated with the box, just memories, enjoyment and interactive learning.
You can reserve the box by contacting the museum and Julia Walsh or calling 052 61 65252.