‘Don’t dump: donate’ says historian hoping Mullingar gets a museum

An appeal to families not to throw away old household items, postcards, memorabilia or photographs has gone out from a local historian leading the drive to have a museum developed in Mullingar.

“What I would say to people is even if you think it’s rubbish, don’t throw it away: just hold on to it; keep steady: this stuff could be very important,” Jason McKevitt told the Westmeath Examiner.

Jason stresses that there are many people who would be able to assess items if owners are unsure: “There are a lot of very good people who may not be necessarily qualified historians but who are absolutely excellent,” he says.

“However, there are other people who know very little about history and they might get something and say ‘that’s no good’ and throw it out.

“I would say to people if you think something may be of some value to someone, just hold on to it and get it checked out. It could be very significant.

“Things like household implements for instance, such as the old-fashioned irons; old medals, postcards. You never know the significance behind something. Also old uniforms: there definitely have to be old uniforms as it was a garrison town.”

Calls for provision of a museum featured strongly during the public consultation organised by the Land Development Agency (LDA) on the future of Columb Barracks and Jason is keenly awaiting the report of the LDA on the public consultation, and hoping it views the museum calls positively.

That report is expected this month.

“I would be very optimistic that there will be something there to represent the history of the barracks, that there will be a museum, I would be very optimistic,” says Jason.

On the plus side, there is no shortage of history to be represented: he points to the fact that the town has not just its military heritage but its rail history, its musical history, and the general social history of the town’s residents.

“The interesting thing is that there are a lot of artefacts out there, not only in relation to the barracks, but also in relation to other aspects of Mullingar history – and they’re all in houses and sheds and attics. And people are mad to put them somewhere, they really want to put them somewhere. But at the moment, there’s just nowhere to put them.”

Some people have already approached Jason, telling him of some of the things they have: “I’ve been approached and I’ve been given a few things of historical importance where people have said to me: ‘Look, Jason, you’re a historian, you hold on to them until such time as there is a museum’. We won’t have any problems filling it!”

Just recently, he was given a postcard written by a Mullingar-born soldier in the trenches during WWI and sent to his family in Curraghmore.

“Also from 1916, there is a postcard which was bought in Mullingar, with the Mullingar frank ark on it and this was sent out to the trenches. People are finding this stuff and they don’t know what to do it and they are handing it over.

“I know other people have spoken about other stuff that they have and they’ve said that when they know there is a place it will be displayed, we would love to give it on loan.”

Even if the LDA favours the proposal, Jason is under no illusion that it will happen in a hurry: “Again, it’s all about funding, and about all the agencies coming together to work on that with the county council and whoever. It’s a long process.”