1.0 INTRODUCTION Kildare County Council in association - Kildare.ie

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AUDIT OF MUSEUMS AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS IN COUNTY KILDARE 2006 5.10 THE HORSE MUSEUM ADDRESS: The Irish National Stud and Japanese Gardens Tully Co. Kildare CONTACT: Freda O’Connell EMAIL: japanesegardens@eircom.net PHONE: 045-521617 SUMMARY OF ORGANIZATION AND COLLECTION: The Horse Museum is a recent development at the Irish National Stud. It is housed in a former stable building, which has been adapted to form two open-plan interconnecting rooms which tell the story of the horse racing industry in Ireland. The museum is really an interpretive centre as the majority of the exhibition is illustrated by graphic display panels, and historic objects that relate to this history are few. The Irish National Stud also provides an extensive gift shop and restaurant as well as the important Japanese Gardens and Saint Fiachra’s Garden. The most prized object in the exhibition is the skeleton of Arkle, which was donated to the Irish National Stud by its former owner Anne, Duchess of Westminster. Other objects include a 19 th century weigh chair, farrier implements and tools, A two-sided glass display case houses miscellaneous objects some of which are not related to the theme of the exhibition. These include: • The Racing Colours of Jockeys from three different races • A medal • A rolled up copy of the Irish Field periodical • A horoscope manuscript of Hall Walker, founder of the Irish National Stud • A whip On the opposite side of the display case there is: • An 18 th century Iron Rowel Spur ad Bridle bit • A 9 th Century AD Yew Saddle Pommell • A late 13 th Century jug spout from Wood Quay, Dublin • Breeding Records. An Audio-visual display includes excerpts from the following races: • Dawn Run Winning the Gold Cup in 1986 • Vintage Crop Winning the Melbourne Cup in 1993 • Danoli Winning the Hennessy Gold Cup in 1997 • Cardeas Winning the Trigo Stakes in 1994 • Arkle Winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1964 • Nijinsky Winning the Epsom Derby in 1970 Graphic displays incorporate some artifacts such as a copy of the Aga Kahn trophy, a 17 th and 18 th century horse shoe, the hoof of Blanford, copies of the Field, a leather side saddle, horse shoes worn by Nijinsky, Ridgewood and Royal Charger. There is also an interactive element to the exhibition with “Did you know” facts dispersed throughout, an electronic weighing-in device which records body weight, and a display which measures height in hands. A model of a horse head allows the viewer to complete the fitting of a bridle with the aid of step-by-step instructions. CHARLES DUGGAN ARHITECTURAL HERITAGE ADVISOR 22
AUDIT OF MUSEUMS AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS IN COUNTY KILDARE 2006 The themes of the graphic display panels are as follows: • The origins of the horse • Early history • The horse in Ireland • Work and the horse • The origins of racing • The Steeplechase • How horseracing works • Arkle • Irish racing before 1850 • Irish racing 1850-1940 • Irish racing since 1940 • Equestrian sports • Breeding in Ireland • The Irish National Stud CHARLES DUGGAN ARHITECTURAL HERITAGE ADVISOR 23
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1.0 INTRODUCTION Kildare County Council in association - Kildare.ie

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