History in the making as Monaghan County Museum marks golden anniversary

A whole host of eye-catching events have been added to an occasion that promises plenty of fun and pleasure for all the family to enjoy.

Among the many attractions lined up include the chance for attendees to commemorate the crash-landing of an RAF spitfire that crashed in the Emyvale countryside in September 1942 by dressing up as a World War II pilot by sitting in an actual spitfire.

More sedate, but equally fascinating additions include the chance for members of the public to try their hand at printing, clay moulding, glit edging or maybe just relax in the Museum's sensory zone.

That, allied to the succession of live music which will be on offer throughout the day, is something local authority bosses hope will draw large and attentive crowds from across the county.

The date was specifically chosen to coincide with World Peace Day, and festivities will extend throughout the multi-use Campus, which is also home to the new Monaghan Town Library Service and Foroige.

It's impending golden anniversary bash is an occasion which organisers believe will also illustrate both how and why one Ireland's first professionally staffed local authority continues to maintain its relevance fifty years later.

The museum's opening in 1974 came despite ongoing and seemingly unending violence in the region which, just a few months earlier in May, reached its nadir when a bomb claimed the lives of seven people and caused life-changing injuries for many others.

"It was a bold statement from Monaghan County Council that they were looking to the future and recognised the importance of preserving and exploring the rich culture and history of the county and surrounding region," said curator, Liam Bradley.

"Despite the shock, which was reverberating around the homes and businesses in the county, here was a service that was open to all."

The museum recently completed a move to a state-of-the-art home at the brand-new €22m Peace Campus, where a major new exhibition, Bordering Realities – Monaghan People and Stories explored the evolving narrative of life on the border.

Highlights included a cross-border partnership with the Ulster Scots, with a dedicated space chronicling the journey of shared cultural ideas and identities; video interviews with well-known Monaghan personalities, including Caitriona Balfe, Barry McGuigan, Ardal O'Hanlon and Tommy Bowe, in which they each speak candidly about their own unique, personal experience of growing up on the border; and 'Place', a short film by award-winning filmmaker, Luke Leslie, commissioned especially for the exhibition.

That, combined with its multi-winning exploits across the national and European stage over the past five decades, are feats that look set to ensure tomorrow's celebrations live long in the memory.

Monaghan County Council's 50th anniversary takes place from 10am-5pm.