Of all the artefacts at Cork Public Museum (there are 70-90,000 of them) the smallest object there is the emblem of the institution which is celebrating 80 years.
Known as the Garryduff bird as it was found in an archaeological excavation in Co Cork townland, this tiny gold bird-shaped ornament is thought to represent a wren because of its tail.
It measures no more than an inch. It’s on show at an exhibition, 1945 Uncorked: The Founding of Cork Public Museum, until spring 2026.
It has been placed under a microscope, essential in order to view its intricate beauty. The detail, in gold wire, known as filigree, is rendered in the Iron Age La Tene style with spiral patterns. It may have been attached to a brooch.
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This iconic find was almost missed. Before finishing up the dig, MJ O’Kelly, who was appointed professor of archaeology at University College Cork (UCC) in 1946 and was the museum’s first curator, insisted on cleaning one final turf patch which revealed the delicate artefact.
Thought to have originated around seventh century , the tiny bird is one of the earliest examples of gold filigree work in Ireland. Filigree is a form of delicate metalwork used in jewellery. It often suggests lace and remains popular in Indian and other Asian metalwork.
It’s part of the exhibition, curated by the students of the MA programme in museum studies at UCC, that shows off some of the treasures contained in the museum in Fitzgerald Park, flanked by the Mardyke Walk, close to Cork city. A striking exhibit, encased in a glass box, is a woman’s ARP (air raid precaution) suit in beige.
Women have played a significant role in the museum with five women committee members in its early days when opportunities for women were limited.
They have included Jane Dowdall who was the museum’s driving force. She was the first woman lord mayor of Cork in 1959 and was also a Fianna Fáil senator and friend of Éamon de Valera. Before entering politics, Dowdall was a nurse and an anthropologist.
She was involved with the Irish Country Women’s Association as well as the Society of St Vincent de Paul. A strong advocate for the arts, she played a crucial role in securing a government grant for the Cork Opera House.
Also on the committee was Bridget G MacCarthy who became the first woman professor of English at University College Cork. The first woman president of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society, Sheila Murphy, also sat on the committee.
The museum was inspired by the 1902 and 1903 Cork International Exhibitions which attracted two million visitors. King Edward VII and queen Alexandria attended this showcase of photography, archaeology, art, agricultural implements and electricity.
It was presided over by Edward Fitzgerald, the lord mayor of Cork (1901-1903) after whom Fitzgerald Park is named.
In 1910, Fitzgerald Park Municipal Museum opened, but due to economic hardship, structural issues and political turmoil, it closed in 1924. The building was repurposed as the offices of the city manager.
There was growing concern about what UCC professor and politician Alfred O’Rahilly described as the “Dublinisation” of Cork. There was much criticism of the regular donations of material excavated in Cork to the capital. For two decades, Cork was devoid of a cultural institution to preserve local cultural heritage.
“A crying shame a city the size and importance of Cork has never possessed a museum of some kind or another to which the citizens, particularly the younger generations, should have access,” stated a letter published in the Cork Examiner on May 20th, 1926.
However, the popularity of an exhibition about Irish independence, covering the period from 1798-1921 (the Civil War didn’t make the cut) in March 1942 at the Patrick Street offices of the Cork Examiner, proved that Corkonians have an appetite for history. It resulted in the emergence of a committee aiming for a permanent public museum by the Lee.
Today, the museum reflects the changes and developments in Cork. It recently acquired the local LGBTQ archive and an exhibition of it may take place in 2026.
The museum has also worked with the Cork Hebrew congregation. When the synagogue on South Terrace closed in 2016, the museum acquired artefacts from it and put them on display, working with the Rosehill family.
The museum also works with the Cork Traveller Women’s Network. And it has a sizeable section on Cumann na mBan.
When I dropped into the museum, I met a group of women from the Traditional Lace Makers of Ireland. They were helping to catalogue the lace collection.
The museum is currently hosting a lace exhibition. It explores the local history and skill of Irish lace-making and includes items on loan from various collections.
You can see why the design on the Garryduff bird might be likened to lace. But be sure to peer at the minuscule artefact through the microscope provided to appreciate the minute detail.
