Exhibition - Ranks Mills at the Hunt Museum, Limerick
Ranks Mills was crucial to Limerick life over a span of several decades. It also provided an excellent example of life and work in Limerick’s recent past.The exhibition will run for approximately three months, funded by the Limerick City Council and a grant from the Heritage Council.
The exhibition is free and is aimed at all ages, it will run until the 31st of May 2012.
The donations of the 'Mercier Papers' to the Limerick City Archives in 2010 allowed the Ranks Mills and its employees to be researched in an unprecedented manner. Furthermore an Oral History Project was organised involving a series of interviews to record the experiences of those employed by Ranks. This work is intended to be more than a history of an important industry. Thanks to the Mercier Records and the Oral History Project, it has been possible to write a history of everyday life and work in Limerick and to throw a light on our shared past - a past that has shaped our present.
Alongside the exhibition there will also be a multi-media webpage launched on the same day to allow the general public to access the Ranks collection online. There will also be a publication on the Limerick Mills and a short film has been commissioned to be shown in the exhibition space. It is hoped that this exhibition will increase not only our knowledge of Ranks but also of our city and an awareness of our past and Limerick's unique identity.
Any groups or teachers interested in bringing their classes on a self-guided tour may schedule their visit by contacting the Hunt Museum on 061 312833 or email education@huntmuseum.com
For any queries on the Ranks Collection please contact the Limerick City Archives on 061 407293 / 407116 or email the City Archivist, Jacqui Hayes on jhayes@limerickcity.ie
Further information can be found on www.limerick.ie/ranks
The exhibition continues until May 31st 2012.