Thomas MacDonagh Museum

About the museum

The Thomas MacDonagh Museum is housed in the former family home on Main Street in Cloughjordan, the town where the poet, teacher and revolutionary Thomas MacDonagh grew up. MacDonagh was one of the seven signatories of the Proclamation of 1916 and a leading figure of the Gaelic Revival. His parents, Joseph and Mary Louise, were both national school teachers who came to Cloughjordan in 1877 to run the town’s boys’ and girls’ schools.

The permanent exhibition opened in 2013, in time for the centenary commemorations of the Rising, and has since grown with the collection. It fills two rooms and presents personal family objects together with material about the development of Ireland as a nation, covering the period from about 1840 to 1940. Each member of the family is introduced through their talents and interests, and the folklife collection gives a picture of everyday life in Cloughjordan at the end of the nineteenth century. The building also contains a local heritage display, a shop, a research facility and a small art gallery.

The museum is a registered charity run by volunteers. It was awarded full accreditation under the Heritage Council’s Museum Standards Programme in 2020, and a project to digitise the collection began with Heritage Council funding in 2022. Entry is free all year.

Highlights

• Museum in the family home of the 1916 leader Thomas MacDonagh
• Personal objects of the MacDonagh family, including a pianoforte
• Folklife collection on Cloughjordan around 1900
• Free entry, with guided talks for groups
• Fully accredited under the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland

Permanent exhibition

• Thomas MacDonagh and his family – Two rooms of personal family objects and material on the Gaelic Revival, the road to the 1916 Rising and the early Irish state, together with objects from the folklife collection on everyday life in Cloughjordan.

Founded

2013

Operated by

Thomas MacDonagh Museum (registered charity, volunteer-run)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is free all year; donations and purchases from the shop help to keep the museum open. Contactless donations are possible.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

All areas of the ground floor, including the museum, heritage exhibitions and galleries, are fully accessible. The upstairs room has limited accessibility. A wheelchair-accessible toilet is on the ground floor.

Kids & families

School and family visits are welcome, and special openings can be arranged by phone.

Getting there & parking

By car, leave the M7 at junction 23 (Moneygall), drive through Moneygall and turn right for about 10 km to Cloughjordan.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The shop at reception sells souvenirs, greeting cards and books. The village has shops, cafés and takeaways. A HEPA air filter has been installed.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

The contact form offers a venue hire enquiry; no details of rooms or capacity are published.

Plan your visit