Welcome

This web site outlines the range of facilities and services offered by the Heritage & Museum Service. The aim of our Museum Service is to promote greater awareness and education of the history and cultural heritage of the Derry City Council area. Our museums also provide a forum for the understanding of the diverse cultural traditions that exist within the area. This is achieved by collecting, recording, conserving and curating evidence from the past and by making our collections and research available to the public.

Our key aims are to preserve our shared heritage and to display and interpret our collections through a range of exhibitions, services and a varied programme of events.

Historical Events of the 20th Century

‘The Historical Events of the 20th Century’ is a European Peace III funded project which aims to provide a learning programme, which will promote cultural identity and shared heritage with emphasis on the major historical events of the last century and legacy of the following key events:

• First World War and Easter Rising
• War of Independence, Civil War, Partition
• World War II and Post war – 1950s
• Civil Rights and Troubles

Derry City Council’s Heritage & Museum Service proposes the creation of a Learning programme of learning activities based around these key themes of the 20th century history.  We will work with our partners in our cluster area of Strabane and Omagh to help deliver this project to the following target groups:

• 5 primary schools from each area – Derry, Strabane and Omagh
• 3 primary schools from Donegal
• 1 youth group from each area within the cluster
• 3 community groups from each cluster

This programme will look at our shared history as a tool to help people recognise that we have a common history and how this has shaped our cultural identity.  This programme will also use the historical events as a platform from which to encourage debated and challenge existing attitudes to our past. It also aims to draw out themes and issues around the key events and support conflict resolution and mediation.

Historical Events Programme will also explore the following themes:

• The role of women in key historical events
• The role of the media in key historical events
• The role played by trade unions
• The impact of local and global citizenship
• The role of conflict resolution in key historical events
• The role of justice and reconciliation

A series of workshops will be available for Schools, Community and youth groups on any of the four main themes. To book a workshop or for further information on the project, please contact the Learning Facilitator.

Fiona Lafferty
Workhouse Museum
Glendermott Road
Waterside
Derry~Londonderry
BT47 6BG

E-mail – Fiona.lafferty@derrycity.gov.uk