Magical memories created by the fascinating exploration of our Tipperary past

Clonmel was transformed into a medieval settlement for a day with the Tipperary Museum of Hidden History bringing together a wonderful range of people to give people an opportunity to explore different eras and how people lived in those times.

The free family fun day as part of National Heritage Week took place last Saturday in Mick Delahunty Square in Clonmel with huge crowds not only attending the even but actively engaging with the workshops, demonstrations and a wide range of activities.

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“We had great crowds on the day and people were enthralled by all of the activity and their ability to participate on the day,” said Marie McMahon, Manager of Tipperary Museum Services.

There were arts and crafts, The Big Dig, Medieval Village and Warriors, Channons Forge, Straw and Willow Crafts, among others to attract the attention of young and people of all ages on the day.

Among them was third-generation farrier, Joe Channon whose demonstrations proved to be very popular.

“I showed people some of the traditions of a farrier and spoke about the role of the traditional blacksmith,” said Joe who proudly carries on the family tradition in Clonmel.

Sonia Caldwell was on hand to show how materials for art could be found in our own environment, rather than in shops where people had to go and buy materials.

She had rushes with her from lakes and fields and had many of her baskets on display, some were decorative and some were used in times gone by to carry food or turf.

Deirdre Burke fascinated people with her explanation of how she created so many wonderful colours for her ‘sheep to sock’ and other products. She identified the plants she used and described the process of how she extracted such beautiful colours from them.

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Paul Robinson, of Deise Medieval, had crowds around his stall as he displayed Viking weapons including sworts, shields , knives and he explained the different tactics used by the Vikings.

It was a wonderful day out for so many people, a National Heritage Day in Clonmel with so many magical memories.