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This week, our programme launched A History of Ireland in 100 Objects, the book which took shape as a weekly series in the Irish Times.

Some of the items are humble and ordinary while others are splendid and dazzling. But what they have in common is that they all touched and shaped the lives of our ancestors and are part of the story of our country. 

The book is a co-production between the National Museum of Ireland, Royal Irish Academy and the Irish Times – and its edited by Fintan O’Toole of that newspaper. It starts with the Mesolithic Fish Trap (5000 BC) and finishes with the Anglo Irish Bank sign (number 99) followed by object number 100 - a decommissioned AK 47 from 2005.

Our programme included a series of animated reports on diverse objects from museums around the country.

Our studio guests were archaeologist, Michael Ryan; Catriona Crowe of the National Archives and journalist, Patsey Murphy, former editor of the Irish Times magazine who recently left the paper after 37 years. They selected objects from the book that caught their imagination and attention.

A History of Ireland in 100 Objects edited by Fintan O'Toole is published by the RIA.  This is a joint project between The Irish Times, the National Museum of Ireland and the Royal Irish Academy.

The rich and resonant objects in this book don’t belong to museums, scholars or historians. They’re the common heritage of Irish people - everywhere.

So, to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and Ireland’s presidency of the EU, A History of Ireland in 100 Objects will be available to download FREE as an app or an e-book until the 31st of March.

eBook and app download link: http://www.eu2013.ie/100objects/

Here you’ll also find fancier versions for iPads, iPhones and Android tablets.

Promotional Video: http://vimeo.com/61015439

The 100 Objects featured in the book are  on display in museums in the capital and around the country as follows:

Eight locations in Dublin where the majority of the objects are housed:

NMI – Archaeology

NMI – Decorative Arts & History,

Christ Church Cathedral

National Archives of Ireland

Royal Irish Academy

Trinity College Dublin

National Library of Ireland

GAA museum

View Trail Map

Other locations around the country:

Kerry

Medieval Museum, Waterford

Irish Agricultural Museum, Wexford

Carlow County Museum

National Science Museum at Maynooth

NMI – Country Life, Mayo

NMNI, Ulster Museum, Belfast

NMNI, Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, Cultra, Down

NMNI, Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh

Museum of Free Derry, Derry

Site: Monasterboice

Site: Tullaghoge Fort, Tyrone

Site: Clonca Graveyard, Donegal

Abroad:

UK: The British Museum, Russell Street

UK: English Heritage 

Norway: Viking Ship Museum, Oslo

It started as a series in The Irish Times with 100 objects chosen by journalist Fintan O’Toole. It is a collaboration involving an extensive range of museums and other institutions, the Irish Presidency of the Council of European Union, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Tourism Ireland and Adobe, coordinated by the Royal Irish Academy. It incorporates a book, an app, a primary-level educational resource, an exhibition at the National Craft Gallery and, first and foremost, a trail of 100 key objects from Irish history that are sited across Ireland,in the UK and in Norway.