‘Peace Day, 1919: Living and remembering in the aftermath of the Great War’ is a major new exhibition from the Irish Linen Centre & Lisburn Museum.

The Great War raged in Europe from 1914-18 and affected all aspects of life in Lisburn and district, with almost 1000 local men and women losing their lives.  In summer 1919, as world powers were making plans for peace in Europe, towns and cities across the British Isles looked to honour their ex-servicemen and women, living and dead, through a day of celebrations.

Peace Day was held in Lisburn on 16 August 1919, and the town held a huge civic parade and reception to honour ex-servicemen, while a temporary cenotaph in Market Square honoured the war dead.  The day was remembered as one of the ‘greatest in Lisburn’s history’.

The exhibition features objects and photographs from its collection to explore Peace Day celebrations.  Highlights include:

• Original artefacts from Lisburn’s Peace Day organising committee
• Rare photographs of the parade and ex-servicemen
• Medals, uniforms and stories of Lisburn soldiers and sailors
• Recreated temporary cenotaph and memory wall – record your views, thoughts or family memories of the Great War
• First Edition copy of the Treaty of Versailles

The exhibition coincides with Northern Ireland’s Armed Forces Day, 22 June 2019, and hosted by Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council.

The exhibition showcases the Museum’s vast collections and celebrates 40 years of collecting Lisburn’s history!  The Museum is reviving the spirit of the cabinet of curiosity and presenting an eclectic mix of objects from the collection, including rare objects, curiosities, photographs, postcards, art, and much more!

An exhibition featuring pieces from contemporary Batik artist Mary Lee Murphy.

About the artist

Mary Lee Murphy is a visual artist working through the medium of wax resist and dye. She has explored this medium for the last thirty years, and over this time has developed her own unique contemporary approach.

She draws her inspiration directly from nature and also from traditional Indonesian Batik.

The background to her work involves many hours drawing in the landscape in Connemara and more recently in her garden in Sligo, both these locations influencing her work, and the subsequent development of her textile pieces.

Mary was born in Waterford City and went to Sligo to study Fine Art, where she continues to work in her countryside studio.

Mary’s work has been widely acclaimed throughout Ireland, having exhibited in fifteen solo shows to date, and numerous group, open submission and invited exhibitions in Ireland and abroad.

This exhibition is Mary’s first in Northern Ireland and features 15 original pieces on cotton, silk and linen woven in the Museum’s weaving workshop.

VE75: Lisburn and the Second World War

‘VE75: Lisburn and the Second World War’ is a major new online exhibition from the Irish Linen Centre & Lisburn Museum marking the 75^th anniversary of ‘VE Day’, or Victory in Europe Day.

The Second World War (1939-1945) raged for six long years, causing the death of over 80 million people globally, and 4000 deaths locally.  Across Northern Ireland almost all aspects of life were touched by the war, from rationing to the blackout, drilling for gas attacks to ‘Digging for Victory’.

To mark the surrender of Germany to the Allies, and the end of the war, a national holiday was declared for 8 May 1945.  Across the United Kingdom ‘VE Day’ was celebrated with great enthusiasm, with street parties, parades, thanksgiving services, and victory addresses from Winston Churchill and King George VI.  The people of Lisburn joined in the celebrations, gathering in Market Square and hosting their own bonfires, parades, and street parties.

This exhibition tells the story of Lisburn and district during and after the War and features virtual objects and photographs from the Museum’s extensive collection.

Highlights include:

• Original artefacts, from gas masks to uniforms
• Rare photographs of Lisburn, its industry and people
• Medals, uniforms and stories of Lisburn soldiers and volunteers, including the Civil Defence and Women’s Voluntary Service (W.V.S.)

For more information visit www.lisburnmuseum.com/VE-Day-Exhibition

The exhibition is part of a wider initiative across LCCC to mare the 75^th anniversary of VD Day. For more information see: https://www.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk/ve-day-75th-anniversary-celebrations

VJ-Day 75: new display marking the end of WWII

VJ-Day 75 is a new virtual display from the Irish Linen Centre & Lisburn telling the story of ‘Victory in Japan’ Day, 15 August 1945.  Using photographs, video and first-hand accounts, the online gallery explores VJ-Day across the United Kingdom, including Belfast and Lisburn.  The exhibition coincides with the 75th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The online gallery can be viewed at Lisburnmuseum.com/VJ-Day

‘The Swanzy Riots, 1920’ details events in Lisburn following the assassination of R.I.C. District Inspector Oswald Ross Swanzy in Market Square.  The murder, by members of the Cork and Belfast I.R.A., led to two nights and three days of vicious rioting, looting and burning, largely aimed at the town’s Catholic community.

Using photographs, artefacts, videos, books and uniforms, this exhibition tells the story of a significant – but not well known – event in Lisburn’s rich history, and its part in the wider story of the War of Independence (1919-1922).

Highlights of ‘The Swanzy Riots, 1920’ exhibition include:

• New, and rarely seen photographs
• Before and after views of the town
• Archival footage from the 1919-23 period
• Objects from the Museum’s collection, from R.I.C. uniforms to books, letters and rare contemporary artefacts
• An interactive map, detailing 300+ compensation claims

View the website here.