Week of events planned for the world’s first Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac

Museum set to officially open on October 11

By

CAHIR O'DOHERTY,

Irish Voice Reporter

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When it opens to the public on October 11 the museum programs will include guided tours of the collection. The museum will also host discussions, films, plays and concerts, that will introduce and educate the general public, scholars, researchers, artists and students to the richness of Irish culture and the high quality of its visual arts in particular.

“I do not think Ireland has a much stronger visual culture than has been recognized and I want the museum to reflect that fact,” Quinnipiac president John L. Lahey told the Irish Voice. “The museum will give all comers the opportunity to reflect on the richness of Irish culture in a more comprehensive way. Yale University has the Yale Museum of British Art and I think this museum will give the New Haven area an interesting new viewpoint.”

The 4,750-square-foot museum invites visitors to explore what are still sadly the largely unrepresented and unresolved causes and consequences of the Great Hunger, as well as to appreciate the art that it continues to inspire in Irish artists.

“The building, which houses our new museum, was purchased after the success of the New York show and dates from the late 19 century when it was originally used as Hamden’s first free public library,” Lahey said. “After some significant renovation, it’s perfect for its new use, and we very much look forward to presenting it to the world.”

Niamh O’Sullivan, professor emeritus of visual culture at the National College of Arts and Design, is curator of the museum’s inaugural exhibit.

Quinnipiac is located 90 minutes north of New York City and two hours from Boston, in Hamden Connecticut. For more information visit www.quinnipiac.edu. 

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