Taoiseach visits Kiltartan Gregory Museum

Taoiseach Enda Kenny paid an unexpected visit last Friday to the Kiltartan Gregory Museum in the company of his wife, Fionnuala, and children Aoibhinn, Ferdia and Naoise.
Mr Kenny and family showed a keen interest in the museum and the history of the area. He had previously called to Kiltartan in 1996 and remembered seeing Lady Gregory’s umbrella on that occasion.
“The story of Coole House and estate was of interest to the Kenny family and they also enjoyed listening to stories about WB Yeats and his whimsical ways. They visited Coole Park and Ballylee and were shocked when they saw the condition of Thoor Ballylee, which has not reopened since the devastating floods of the winter 2009-2010,” said local historian Sr de Lourdes Fahy.
According to Sr de Lourdes, the Kennys purchased a copy of The History of Kiltartan, Many Leaves, One Root, which contains hitherto unpublished material on Lady Gregory and WB Yeats as seen through the eyes of the local people.
“The old Irish classroom reminded the Taoiseach of his own primary school, Cornacool National School in Mayo, with its turf fire and crows nesting in the chimney. Old textbooks, slates, maps, blackboard and charts brought back memories of a bygone age. Of particular interest was the picture Lunch Atop a Skyscraper, which was photographed in 1932 during the construction of the Rockefeller Building in New York. One of the men in the picture is Mattie O’Shaughnessy of Rinrush, who attended Kiltartan N ational School. His brother-in-law, Sonny Glynn, from the parish of Beagh, is also in this historic photo,” Sr de Lourdes outlined.
“The visit highlights the importance of local heritage centres. Heritage tourism seems set to occupy a huge share in the tourism market. This was also in evidence during the recent highly successful Week of Welcomes, when Irish emigrants enjoyed linking up with their historical roots,” she said.
Kiltartan Museum will host a Tell-Tale Day on Saturday, August 20, marking the beginning of Heritage Week. The event taps into the ancient Irish love for storytelling. Several well-known story-tellers, or seanchais, have been invited and anyone can come along and take part.
The stories will be interspersed with music and lively conversation. The Tell-Tale Day takes place at Kiltartan Cross between 2pm and 5pm on Saturday, August 20.