Bronze handbells toll for first time in years at Limerick museum

FOUR NINTH century bronze handbells from the Hunt Museum’s permanent collection will peal again for the first time in centuries.

That’s because the instruments have been removed from their cases and will ring out as part of the museum’s new exhibition.

The Artefacts Project showcases the work of Lorcan Walshe’s study of medieval mementoes, with the bells on open display as part of an interactive exhibition inviting the visitor to enhance their experience through a sense of hearing.

The medieval handbells will ring on the hour, with distinctive sounds of Limerick played through the sounds formed by each ringer.

Each day different sounds will be played, and a visitor may also create their own personal soundscape by recording their voices and playing them back as they would be heard through the bells.

In Pictures: Out and About in Limerick at the Coronas concert at King John's Castle

Dr Eoin Callery, course director of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance created the installation in conjunction with The Hunt Museum.

He said: “Part of a bells’ identity is the singular sound it makes. Hundreds of years ago the sounds of these handbells would have been heard across the landscape, calling people to prayer, announcing news of joy or sorrow, or giving a warning. Instead of just recording what each bell sounds like, we went a step further to create a soundscape - which is a combination of different sounds that help to create a sense of place, but also creates a new sound, much in the same way as mixing two colours can give you a third colour. We recorded sounds from different parts of Limerick and passed them through the spectrum of the bells to create a unique soundscape of Limerick. It’s intriguing to hear how the bells react to a jackhammer in the background or how a person’s voice or clap literally becomes the clappers within a bell.”

Hunt Museum director Dr Jill Cousins said: “As with all our exhibitions, we like to have a strong link to the artefacts in the museum but we also want to be disruptive and make the visitor look at something anew.”

The Artefacts Project will run until September 11 next.

Entry is free of charge, and some works are for sale. For more information, please telephone 061-312833.