Donnelly's arm to feature in Heritage Week exhibition
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| The arm on display in New York in 2006. |
Courtesy of Mrs Josephine Byrne, the mummified right arm of the famous Irish champion pugilist will be part of a Kilcullen 700 exhibition in the Heritage Centre during National Heritage Week 2019, 17-25 August.
Other exhibits will include the Kilcullen 700 exhibition from Scoil Bhride, as well as short videos relating to Dan Donnelly, the bridge at Kilcullen, and Old Kilcullen.
The arm was a key element of an eclectic collection of memorabilia in The Hideout from 1953 until the pub was sold in 1996 when the late Des Byrne retired from the business. In 2006 it was the centrepiece of a 'Fighting Irishmen' boxers exhibition put on in New York, which subsequently travelled to Boston, the Ulster Folk Museum, Croke Park, and the University of Limerick.
Since the Byrnes left The Hideout, the arm has only been viewable by appointment to people with a particular interest in Dan Donnelly, his life and times.
Also during National Heritage Week, the Kilcullen 700 Committee are organising a competition based on how people of past times spent their leisure and play hours. There will be four prizes sponsored by Bank of Ireland, to be allocated by an independent judging panel, for the best display on that theme, which lines up with the Pastimes/Past Times theme of Heritage Week 2019.
Businesses, clubs and other organisations in the town are being invited to put up small exhibitions on the theme in their premises for Heritage Week. There's an open brief for the format, which could range from window displays where appropriate to exhibit collections, tableaux, or photographs and other visual materials.
More details will be announced at a launch of the competition planned for next week.
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