No one knows how hard it is to narrow down a favourite gallery than me. It changes on a weekly, daily, sometimes hourly basis. Such is the beauty of working at EPIC – there is so much to discover and explore, even for an expert like me. Still, there are three rooms in particular that never fail to capture my imagination, to make me feel like I’m apart of something bigger, and so here we
1. Arriving In A New World
Our third gallery, Arriving In A New World, is the very beginning stories for our emigrants, when they made it to the countries that would, for better or worse, become their new homes. It reminds us of how frightening this journey would have been, and proves that the arrival is only the beginning of their migration stories. You see the size of suitcases that the Irish would have had to pack their entire lives into, and how often the decision to leave Ireland was not one made out of pure adventure, but in fact necessity.
The story that sticks with me the most is that of Anne Carey, who I had the pleasure of meeting. Anne moved to Canada from Canada with her husband at the height of the Troubles following a scare where she thought he had been killed. Fun fact, Anne is the only one who plays herself in the footage shown in this gallery, which gives it a more personal touch.
2. Discovering & Inventing
Here at EPIC, we’re always talking about how impressive the Irish are, but no room depicts that more clearly perhaps than Discovering & Inventing. Aside from the fact that it’s one of the most visually striking of the EPIC Galleries, with huge structures that represent neurons in the brain, it documents the innovators who have had a serious impact on the lives of people around the world.
It tells the story of Ernest Shackleton, Kildare born explorer who led several Antartic expeditions (he’s become so revered that a museum opened up in his honour just this year), Jocelyn Bell Burnell, the astrophysicist from Armagh who discovered radio pulsars, and John Philip Holland, who developed the first submarine that would be used by the US Navy. Sometimes I take a few minutes to sit on one of the benches in this gallery and simply do what it says on the side “Be Inspired.”
3. Achieving Infamy
We spend a lot of time at EPIC looking at the heroes of the Irish diaspora, but believe it or not, there are a few infamous members, outlaws, vigilantes, and those who were falsely accused, in the wrong place at the wrong time. We’d like to believe that the Irish are complete saints, but like every country around the world, we have had our fair share of people who are famous for all the wrong reasons. Your Machine Gun Kellys (no, not Megan Fox’s ex boyfriend), your Ned Kellys (not related to either aforementioned Machine Gun Kelly), your Anne Bonnys – while they caused nothing short of havoc in their day, their stories are admittedly fascinating – there’s a reason after all we’re so drawn to villains in fiction. The same is true in reality.
Of course, occasionally, it’s not the fault of the Irish. Mrs O’Leary became famous for all the wrong reasons when she was accused of starting a huge fire in Chicago, with her cow as her accomplice. It turned out not to be her fault at all, which if nothing else shows that fake news has been an issue for a lot longer than just in the digital age.
Special Shout Out to: Conflict
Trying to include Conflict when I’m only allowed three galleries just goes to prove how much I adore this museum as a whole, and how my favourite changes so completely on a regular basis. I guess I’ll just have to make a part two and give my two cents on how each and every room holds a special place in my heart.
Enjoy!
