Schools Living History at Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre

Nadia Forde & young visitor meet the Coin Minter

 Schools Living History at Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre

Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre and the Heritage Office of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council are offering the highly successful Living History Programme for national schools until Thursday 25^th March 2010. The programme is suited to fourth, fifth and sixth classes.

 The Living History presentation involves professional actors from Deilg Inis Theatre Company, in full period costume bringing the history of our 14^th century Fortified Town House and the wider area to colourful life. The company portrays characters from early Christian through Viking to medieval and Victorian times. The defensive features of a medieval Town House/Castle are illustrated. The Murder Hole is activated theatrically and participation by the students is encouraged. One of the archers who defended the castle from the notorious O’Byrnes and O’Tooles of Wicklow demonstrates the use of the longbow. The history of the area and social customs of the time are covered in a colourful, engaging and memorable manner.

This year, due to cut-backs, we have had to make the difficult decision to close the Heritage Centre one day a week (Tuesdays) all year round. The schools programme will now be available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10am.  The tour is of approximately two hours duration.  

Lighting of the Christmas Tree

The Christmas Show this year is ‘Santa’a Magical Christmas’ in Dalkey Town Hall at 3.45 pm. Admission is free and strictly on a first come-first served basis! Children will get preference as there is great disappointment when the hall is full and children have to be turned away.

Later at 5.00 pm Deilg Inis Living History Theatre Company will provide actors for the Nativity Scene in Archbold’s Castle again this year. There will also be live animals to add to the athmosphere. This is a highly popular event in the true non-commercial spirit of Christmas.

Christmas in Dalkey

Dalkey is gearing up for Christmas! The lights are gradually going up on the buildings around the heritage town but Dalkey won’t be fully lit until Santa presses the magic switch in a big ceremony on Sunday 13th December.
There is a free admission to the Christmas Show for the little ones in Dalkey Town Hall that Sunday at 3.45pm. ‘Santa’s Magical Christmas’. Preference will be given to the junior members of the community. Afterwards Santa is expected to appear if he isn’t caught in the floods. Here maybe we need to think about reducing out carbon foot print and lowering the floods! Santa’s reindeer are carbon neutral …we hope… his deer don’t give off the methane gas that the cows do! That’s my theory anyway and I’m sticking to it for Santa’s good press! The Living Crib in Archbolds Castle won’t have cows either but will have sheep and goats with shepherds, Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus (a little early).

Meanwhile over in Goat Castle across the road Christmas preparations are in full swing.
Did you know that the Lord of the Medieval Castle was the original Santa figure? Before Santa ever set foot in the North Pole with his Elves, the Lord of the Castle was the giver of gifts to all his subjects. This was the origin of the Christmas Box tradition. The naming of Boxing Day dates back to medieval times when workers received food and gifts in boxes from their Lords. The boxes were wooden ands used over and over again so no forests were cut down for fancy paper wrapping!
The Mint a Merry Medieval Christmas Tour runs seven days a week, every half hour, beginning at 10.00am weekdays and 11.30am at weekends. The last tour is at 4.15pm. check the website for full details.

Already we are feeling the benefits of our appearance in Croke Park- not on the pitch but in the Conference Centre at the History Teachers Association of Ireland last week. We took the teachers back on a journey through time before climate change was ever heard of …not that our research has found at any rate! The medieval Archer persuaded the teachers to show their bow fingers to the native Irish and the Barber Surgeon’s wife sampled urine while testing for black bile …no mention of methane gas there and the Cook used everything from boar’s head to innards to ‘umble pie..no need for landfill in those medieval times, nothing was wasted. Even the steam from urine was useful as it killed the lice and the fleas on the clothes!

Now I have to move on and hang next week’s clothes up in the Garderobe. Why don’t you call in and join in the fun?

Lord and Lady at the Chrstmas Feast

Welcome to our new blog

In this blog, we’re hoping to keep you up to date with all sorts of interesting things going on at Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre.

Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre