PRIMARY AND POST PRIMARY SCHOOL TOURS

Tara’s Palace Museum of Childhood at Powerscourt House is now taking bookings for Primary and Post Primary School tours. CALL 01 2748090 TODAY.

At Tara’s Palace children can see Ireland’s largest doll’s house, tiny works of art in miniature, a variety of other dolls houses and toys dating back 300 years. They can try our Museum Quiz and have fun in the interactive room playing with toys and/or colouring pictures. All children will receive a prize for entering the quiz. The cost per child is only €2.50 from which a donation is made to Irish children’s charities. There is no charge for supervisors.

Coach parking is available on site. There is a courtyard area for children to have their picnics. The Avoca Terrace Cafe has a large selection of food including salads, soup, sandwiches, hot meals and delicious cakes and pastries. There are plenty of open spaces for children to explore after their visit and lunch.

A visit to the Powerscourt Garden or Waterfall can be included in your visit. Call Powerscourt on 01 2046000 for bookings and prices.

Happy Christmas 2011

Tara’s Palace Museum of Childhood will close today and will reopen on Tuesday 27th December 2011. We would like to wish all our visitors, volunteers and supporters a very Happy Christmas.

Christening Robe Collection

Angela Somerfield donated this beautiful christening robe to Tara’s Palace. The robe dates from the 1920′s and belonged to Angela’s aunt who was a nurse and worked for Lord and Lady Redesdale. Lord Redesdale is also known as The Hon David Freeman-Mitford. The Mitfords are a family of Northumberland landed gentry, dating back to the 14th century.

The couple had one son and six daughters, who all used the surname Mitford rather than Freeman-Mitford. The girls were known collectively as the Mitford Sisters. Nancy and Jessica became well-known writers. It is thought the dress was worn by several of the Mitford children.

A collection of Christening Robes is now on display at Tara’s Palace Museum of Childhood, Powerscourt House, Wicklow.

Our Christmas Charity for 2011.

We have a Winner!

The winner of the Name the Doll Competition is Elizabeth Whiston with her entry of “Gwendolyn”. We picked this name because of its close association with the museum. During the summer of 1907 in Dublin, a little girl called Gwendolyn, aged 3, declared to her father, Sir Neville Wilkinson, that she saw a fairy disappear among the moss at the bottom of an old sycamore tree. Sir Neville promised his daughter that she would see the home to which the fairy had returned. He then set in motion the creation of a miniature palace called Titania’s Palace, and commissioned James Hicks of Dublin to create the exterior. It was through the loss of Titania’s Palace from Ireland to Denmark in 1967 that Mr Ron McDonnell was inspired to build another miniature Palace and thus began the story of Tara’s Palace.

Miniature Making Classes at Tara’s Palace Museum of Childhood

Create your own miniatures in a relaxed atmosphere with Mary Cairns, a local artisan from Bray, Co. Dublin.  The classes will run for 6 weeks from November 2^nd to December 7^th 2011.

Classes will be on Wednesday afternoons from 3.30 to 5pm.

The cost is €60 for the course. Materials will be extra.

Places on the course are limited. Book now to avoid disappointment. Call Nicola on 086 8607068 or email marketing@taraspalace.ie

HALLOWEEN AT TARA’S PALACE

Colour a Halloween Picture

Special Halloween Quiz

Fancy Dress Competition on October 31st at 3pm in the museum at Powerscourt House, Enniskerry. Prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places. All entrants will receive a small gift. Our face painter will be there on the day to get you ready for trick or treating. There is no charge for face painting. Normal admission fees to the museum apply.