In Pictures: Exhibition of Limerick Lace from Maude Kearney Collection opens

THE MAYOR of the city and county of Limerick, Cllr Gerald Mitchell, was the guest of honour at the official handover of The Maude Kearney Collection of Limerick Lace to the Limerick Museum in the Old Franciscan Friary on Henry Street.

The handover also marked the officially opening of An exhibition of lace from the Maude Kearney Collection - "The Art of the Stitch: The Enduring Legacy of Maude Kearney" 

Maude Kearney (1873-1963) was one of the greatest figures in the history of Limerick lace.

Maude Kearney (1873-1963) was one of the greatest figures in the history of Limerick lace. 

In 1904, she opened her lacemaking business in Limerick, revitalising the art of Limerick lacemaking. Maude was a Renaissance woman in the truest sense, and this exhibition celebrates her lasting legacy, fifteen decades after her birth.

Earlier this year, Grania McElligott agreed to donate her grandmother’s historic lace collection to Limerick Museum.

The Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Gerald Mitchell, accepted the collection on behalf of the people of Limerick saying: “This is one of the most significant donations to Limerick Museum for many years. It is one of the biggest collections of Limerick lace in private ownership, so this donation will make the Museum’s collection of Limerick lace the largest in existence.

"The collection is of very high quality with many unique and rare items and it has a very historic provenance in that the collection belonged to Maude Kearney, the leading figure in Limerick lace for fifty years. On behalf of the people of Limerick I wish to thank Grania and her family for their great generosity in giving their priceless collection to Limerick Museum. I am honoured and delighted to accept the Maude Kearney Lace Collection from Grania McElligott. Thank you.”

Dr Matthew Potter, curator of Limerick Museum, added: "I want to thank my colleagues Dr Zara Power and John Elliott for their work on this exhibition. I expect that many Limerick people and many other people from outside Limerick will come to see the Maude Kearney Lace Collection, both to enjoy these beautiful artefacts and to get a better picture of Limerick’s rich tradition in the decorative arts – a tradition that we need to both understand and commemorate.”

High-end Limerick development with 167 apartments to cost €80m

Grania McElligott commented: "I think that, through Maude’s extraordinary influence, the heritage of the Art of the Stitch, which she passed on to me and to many others, is now being passed on to other generations, albeit in a rather different way.

"On behalf of my sisters Fionnuala and Geraldine, I wish to formally hand over the Maude Kearney Collection into the safekeeping of Limerick Museum. Having it here in the city where it belongs is a wonderful opportunity to portray the influence of this awe-inspiring, indomitable woman, whom we are proud to call our grandmother.” 

The Art of the Stitch: The Enduring Legacy of Maude Kearney, continues in Limerick Museum until January 31, 2024. 

Limerick Museum is open to the public Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm and on Saturdays from 10am to 1pm and from 2pm to 5pm.