Limerick Museum showcases 200 years of opera in city with opening of new exhibition

AS PART of Limerick Opera Festival, Limerick Museum is currently hosting an exciting new exhibition, Opera in Limerick, showcasing Limerick’s 200-year old operatic tradition. 

This exhibition has been curated by Dr Matthew Potter and the Museum staff in partnership with Ger Reidy, Director of the Limerick Opera Festival. It features objects from the permanent collection of Limerick Museum and items on loan from private collectors.

They demonstrate the high quality of Limerick’s musical life over the past two centuries and remind us of some of the great venues that the city boasted such as the Theatre Royal on Mallow Street, which flourished for eighty years from 1840 to 1920 and the Savoy Theatre on Bedford Row, one of Ireland’s greatest cinemas and theatres for most of the twentieth century.

The exhibition shows how Limerick punched above its weight in the world’s musical culture in the past 200 years.

READ MORE: Homecoming for Limerick actor Richard Harris with opening of exhibition with never-before-seen items

Dr Matthew Potter, Curator of Limerick Museum commented:

“Limerick Museum has collaborated with Limerick Opera Festival since it was established in 2019 by Ger Reidy. This is the fifth exhibition that Ger and I have held to coincide with the Opera Festival. The rich material culture created by Limerick’s long operatic tradition is demonstrated by the sheer number of objects on display from both our own collection and from the numerous private collections of operatic memorabilia held in the city.” 

Ger Reidy, Director of the Limerick Opera Festival added:

“Established in 2019, the Limerick Opera Festival was created to bring opera to all through a wide variety of live performances, operatic renditions, exhibitions and community events. With a splendid operatic history, Limerick had produced many iconic figures of the operatic genre- from European idol Catherine Hayes, to Joseph O’Mara, to in more recent times Suzanne Murphy. I want to thank Matthew and his colleagues for working with us in staging this fine exhibition.”

Opera in Limerick is on display in Limerick Museum until Friday, June 13. Limerick Museum is situated in the Old Franciscan Friary on Henry Street, next door to Dunnes Stores.

The Museum is open to the public Monday to Friday, from 10am to 5pm; Saturday from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm. Admission is free.