A History in 100 Objects of Derry - Derry City Council

ForewordThe task of collecting, preserving andmaking publicly accessible collections ofintrinsic value is important for the city’smemory bank. It was with these thoughtsin mind that Derry City Council’s Heritageand Museum Service created this newexhibition exploring the history of our citythrough objects suggested by the public.The museum and archive collection consists ofover 10,000 objects which richly illustrate theunique heritage of the city. The gathering of sucha collection could not have been achieved withoutthe assistance of those who donated objects, localsupporters, organisations that provided grant aidand dedicated staff, past and present.Writer and editor Fintan O’Toole neatly sumsup the importance of objects as material things,that can be touched, that are visible, physical andtangible. Objects have meaning and value, butthey can also touch on emotions and aspirations;they can move us in odd and unpredictable ways.“Objects can put us in touch with the past in adirect and immediate way. But they also help usto a more complex understanding of the past.There is a certain paradox that surrounds them.They seem precise and fixed, literally tangible.When so much about the past – especially theIrish past – is contested, physical things seem toprovide secure anchors in history. They ought tomake things simpler. And yet, when you actuallyexamine any object, this apparent simplicityquickly falls away. Interesting objects tend toprovoke more questions than they can answer.”We hope this exhibition will stimulate an interestin preserving memories and understanding theimportance of documenting our history.2