bout ye, eoin

"There's a tendency for people to think of stuff in cases when they think of museums." Eoin works at the Museum of Free Derry so knows all too well what people think of museums, what they are and what they can be. 'Mon have a wee chat with Eoin.

A male with dark hair and facial hair, wearing a grey long-sleeved polo and denim jeans, standing on Derry's Walls holding a cut-out of a colourful jacket museum object

Text in black font saying 'what's happenin' placed on a pink colour block background

I think museums should be thinking more about how they show history. Connecting people with the story is just as important as having the living artefacts in the glass for them to look at.

When we caught up with Eoin, he was telling us he's always been fascinated with the 1798 rebellion. "It's just always been something that's fascinated me since I was knee-high."

"History is my favourite thing. I think it's important because it helps people have a sense of place. It helps us to understand what came before us, it helps ground people and keep connected."

There is a ring fort up near where he lives, which he visited frequently with his grandad, and that was what got him into Irish history. As you can see, Eoin is pictured (above) with a coat worn by Henry Joy McCracken, which is in the Ulster Museum collection, as it matches his passion for history and place. There's something for everyone at museums!

A side on, top half torso photo of a male with dark hair and facial hair, wearing a grey long-sleeved polo, with Derry city in the background

Photo credit: Sam Patton

Outside the walls of museums, "I would love to rewild space, let it go!" Having read about how Ireland used to be, about the forests across the island...

It makes me sad to think about how Ireland has been losing its forests and natural world. But we are waking up to more effort in the next generation, to push back against unwillingness to address this.