As adults, we tend to have a certain reverence for cultural institutions: walking at a funereal pace around art galleries in silence, we pause in front of most paintings because we feel we should. It can be refreshing, if nerve-racking, to enter a museum with a child, who has no sense of duty to a Titian or a pot from ancient Greece. But how do you get kids excited by the prospect of a visit to an art gallery? How do you silence the chorus of “boring” when you suggest an educational outing to a mock medieval village?
Here are some tips for turning art and culture into an adventure:
Context is crucial. Do some research and prepare children beforehand. For younger children, a picture book such as Helen Hancock's William and the Missing Masterpiece may excite their interest in art; for older readers, try Quentin Blake's Tell Me a Picture. For historic buildings and museums, try one of Usborne's many books on knights, castles, medieval life, Vikings, mummies and more. The sticker books will have even the most reluctant cultural companion excited.
You can always turn a trip into a treasure hunt: the museum or gallery may have online resources, worksheets or cultural backpacks that will help guide you through the collection. If not, make your own: “Let’s find a painting that has a dragon in it.”
Know their limits (and yours). If it is a big gallery or museum, choose one section to focus on. If you have been there before, choose one painting. If you are going to visit more than one cultural institution or site (not a great idea with the under-eights) make sure they are as different as possible: follow a visit to a hushed cathedral with a busy interactive science museum.
The “one for you and one for me” rule: balance intellectual and artistic endeavours with a good old romp outdoors. Many cultural institutions have extensive grounds. If they don’t, plan ahead and take the opportunity to discover parks you might not otherwise get to.
Give Family Day a miss. The same can be said about play areas. You’ll never get beyond the bunting.
The gift shop is your friend. There is no avoiding it, so make it work for you. Get your child to pick a postcard of an object or painting and try to find it in the museum, or use it as inspiration for further investigation when you get home.
The major national cultural institutions have facilities and activities for children. In Dublin, Imma and the National Gallery offer family workshops throughout the summer, and play areas for small children in their cafes. Imma’s eclectic outdoor sculptures are always a hit with kids.
The trio of National Museums offer particularly family-friendly material, including the macabre Dead Zoo at the Natural History Museum, soldiers’ memorabilia at Collins Barracks and the gory bog bodies at the History Museum (for mummies, head to St Michan’s in Dublin 7). In Mayo, the National Museum of Country Life has similar appeal for young visitors.
In Cork, the Glucksman and Crawford galleries reach out to families in weekly events, while the Lifetime Lab and Blackrock Observatory are designed with under-age users in mind. In Northern Ireland, the W5 discovery centre and Titanic Experience in Belfast, and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Co Down, are a trio of wonders for young visitors.
The Irish Times Top 50 Days Out suggests other family-friendly cultural adventures. If you still aren't inspired, here are some more eclectic choices.
The National Library
It may go against your instincts to visit a library with a young companion, but the National Library offers more than just a reading room and access to books. It also houses an impressive exhibition about WB Yeats, who was born 150 years ago this year. The exhibition balances material objects, such as masks and ouija boards, with digital manuscripts. Check out the education section of the library’s website for a Yeats Trail that you can print at home.
Age: 8+. Free admission. nli.ie
Cork City Gaol
Put playground cops and robbers games in perspective at Cork City Gaol, where life-like statues animate real-life stories of the prison to tremendous effect. Of particular interest will be the eight-year-old pickpocket who has just been whipped with the cat o’ nine tails. Afterwards, cross the Shakey Bridge at Sunday’s Well to Fitzgerald’s Park and play spot the sculpture: many of them are busts of Republican heroes who spent more than their fair share of time in one jail or another.
Age: 3+. Family ticket (2 adults, 4 children): €25. corkcitygaol.com
Model Arts Centre, Sligo
The first thing you see when you enter the Model is a wooden playhouse. There are regular family tours, events and workshops throughout the year. This summer, for example, there is a mini-céilí, jazz workshops, film screenings, and many opportunities to engage with the Niland collection, which features some fine 20th-century work.
Age: All ages. Free. themodel.ie
Belvedere House, Mullingar
You will need no persuasion to visit the grounds of Belvedere House, which include a Victorian walled garden, woodland trails and stunning views of Lough Enell. The house itself hosts a great interactive exhibition of life in the times of the Rochfort family. The servants’ quarters will prove especially exciting for younger visitors.
Age: All ages. Family ticket (2 adults, 2 children): €23. belvedere-house.ie
Athenry Heritage Centre, Galway
Archery. A torture dungeon. This medieval model-town experience mines Athenry’s history for its most dramatic scenarios. Get kitted out in a wimple or armour and learn the art of archery. Afterwards you can explore the town itself, which has a castle, graveyard, church, priory and defence walls of medieval origin.
Age: all ages. Family ticket (2 adults, 3 children): €26. athenryheritagecentre.com
Opera in the Open
The Metropolitan Opera in New York stages an annual family-friendly production, with an edited score, an English libretto and plenty of puppets and props. If you want to introduce your children to opera in Ireland, Opera in the Open, staged at Dublin Civic Offices in Wood Quay, is a good bet. The informal outdoor setting allows for wandering attention spans. The operas will be staged every Thursday in August, with a special season launch on July 30th in Merrion Square. Bring a picnic, and stick around after to meet the musicians.
Age: all ages. Admission free.
Chester Beatty Library, Dublin
The Chester Beatty, with its visual tales of dragons, damsels and knights in the library, is great for storytelling and role play. The maze in the museum’s gardens is especially good fun for toddlers. And the towers and bridges of Dublin Castle are on its doorstep.
Age: all ages. Admission free. cbl.ie
Ulster American Folk Park
If you have been to the Titanic Experience in Belfast, the Ulster American Folk Park offers an alternative perspective on events. The park commemorates Irish emigration, and its interactive reconstructions show visitors what life in Ireland was like for many of the passengers who died on the doomed ship. It also explores life for those who survived and eventually made it to America. Highly educational, but exciting too.
Age: all ages. Family Ticket (2 adults, 3 children): £25. nmni.com/uafp
