A museum and gallery in Clonmel is reopen ten years after a misunderstanding resulted in it closing.
The holdings of the Clonmel Art Gallery and Museum include paintings by Jack Yeats. Among the more unusual items on display is a 100 year old town crier's rattle which was used by the night watchman and to call order at meetings.
Exhibits in the museum include finds from local battles in past centuries, items from the Bianconi era, and letters from Padraig Pearse.
The closure of the gallery and museum came about over controversy over who was responsible for it. Secretary of North Tipperary County Council, Joe McHugh, told RTÉ reporter Tom MacSweeney, how the reopening had come about. The Clonmel Corporation passed its function under the Libraries Act to the Tipperary County Council in 1966. There was confusion over who held responsibility for the Art Gallery and Museum. The issue has now been resolved and the council accepts that responsibility for the gallery and museum falls under its remit. The building has now been refurbished and redecorated and is open to the public.
The Clonmel Art Gallery and Museum was officially reopened by the Lord Mayor of Clonmel Cllr John Allen.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 1 April 1974. The reporter is Dermot Mullane.
