MAY 2009

A Little Night Music

Visitors will be invited to watch the BBC documentary Paradiso produced by Besom Productions at 6:30pm. This film follows local musician Roy Arbuckle and friends as they take a trip down memory lane reminiscing about growing up in the Fountain and the dance hall days in the Memorial Hall.

After the film an entertaining Evening of Music and Reminiscence with Roy and a chance for people to share their own memories and stories, with maybe a little dancing, will pursue.

To accompany the event, Guildhall Press will have a special selection of black and white photographs on exhibit from their recent publication City of Music - Derry's Music Heritage celebrating musicians and music from the 1950s. A selection of books to tie in with the occasion will also be on sale: Memories of Memories by Roy Clements, Oh How We Danced by Harry McCourt, The Workhouse and the Famine in Derry by Patsy Durnin plus the anthologies Eve - A Celebration of Creative Women' (with free CD) and From Acorns to Oak: Memories of Derry which features memories from John Hume, Seamus Deane, Gerry Anderson, Phil Coulter, Dana and Roma Downey, alongside other local personalities.

This event is part of the Museum Service’s Valuing Heritage by Valuing Memories project and aims to encourage people of all ages to use the everyday activity of reminiscing to appreciate their life stories as a rich resource for themselves, their families and their communities. This is an excellent opportunity to visit the museum and find our more about Derry's local history. Admission is £1 per person with all current exhibitions open for view.

Earlier in the day, shoppers will also get the opportunity soak up a little history when Derry City Council’s Heritage and Museum Service run an innovative event at Foyleside Shopping Centre from 12 noon until 4:30pm

This will consist of a display of photographs and objects from the museum collection combined with fun activities for everyone that will allow people the opportunity to discover more about the rich resources for enjoyment and learning about heritage that exist in the city.

This event ties in with an exciting new project Connection and Division funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund which has seen the Derry Heritage and Museum Service link up with the Fermanagh County Museum and the Inniskillings Museum. The project concentrates on the years 1910 to 1930 and explores the impact on local communities of national and international events that occurred during that period including the First World War and Partition.

Connection and Division is supported through the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Collecting Cultures scheme, a prestigious one-off museums and galleries collections’ development programme which was designed to help support acquisitions, enhance curatorial skills, research and increased public involvement.

Maire Gallagher, member of the Heritage Lottery Fund Committee for Northern Ireland said:

“Connection and Division is an innovative project that links together people, places, objects and artifacts to show how events on the national and international stage impacted upon and shaped local life during this period. Events like this at Foyleside will enable more local people to engage with their heritage and their museums, and we hope everyone will enjoy taking part.”

Mayor of Derry, Gerard Diver, believes Saturday’s programme of events offers people an opportunity to get a new insight into the history of the city.

“The event at Foyleside and the Museum at Night are very enterprising developments by our Heritage and Museum Service. These events will make the museum much more accessible to the public and allow people who might not otherwise consider a visit to the museum an opportunity to see what they are missing. Understanding our past is vital to moving towards the shared future we all seek,” he said.

Education Officer with the Derry Heritage and Museum Service, Margaret Edwards explained the thinking behind the events.

“These events are part of a proactive effort by the Derry Heritage and Museum Service to engage with the public. The Connection and Division project will allow people an insight into a pivotal period of history and hopefully help them to achieve a deeper understanding of some of the issues that still affect us today. Sometimes people are unaware of the fabulous resources here on their own doorstep, Saturday is chance for people to get a taste of the city’s history and heritage.”

For further information please contact Margaret Edwards on 028 71377331 or the Tower Museum on 028 713712411. Email: museums@derrycity.gov.uk

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