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After tooling around the Irish countryside, we've stumbled
upon roadside wedge tombs. We've climbed
crumbling castles beside modern villages.
We've wandered ancient woods untamed by men now buried underfoot. To experience Ireland is to experience first
hand the old world grasping the new.
These places are magnificent, but seem hollow without the objects of
everyday life that were the flesh of their bones.
You can see many of the objects of everyday life at The Hunt
Museum in Limerick. It is the private
collection of John and Gertrude Hunt.
Two thousand pieces of art and antiquity, each hand selected based on
craftsmanship, artistic merit, and quality of design. Stepping into the museum is like entering the
home of these two expert archaeologist-artists; they devoted their lives to
gathering the treasures of Ireland and now want to share them with you. The Hunts donated their collection to the
people of Ireland, and they believed it should remain as one and in the
Limerick region.
The rooms are set up to illustrate the evolution of objects
across time. Looking closer at the
objects, I see the stories inside them.
The hand carved stone axe head is chipped from clearing the rugged lands
for grazing. The bronze ring is an
exquisite gift from a man to his love at the height of Celtic
civilization. The massive iron cauldron
used to simmer feasts was highly valued and often mended by the smith. Each object whispers the tale of its life and
of the people who used it.
The Hunt collection includes art by Picasso, da Vinci,
Yeats, and Renoir. The paintings by
Irish artists describe the colors and forms of the everyday life. How did the countryside look, illuminated by
sunlight long ago? What colors bloomed
in the spring? The paintings are a
window back in time.
The museum is located in the Custom House. The building is a superb example of 18th
century architecture, built in the Palladian-style and designed by Italian
architect Davis Duckart.
It is open Monday to Saturday from 10AM to 5PM and Sunday
from 2PM to 5PM. For more information,
visit www.huntmuseum.com.
Written by Liz O' Malley - Summer of Travel 2007
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