On, 20th August 2026 of Specimens of Change. An Exhibition of Limerick Museum’s Natural History Collections, Curated by Dr Zara Power, Assistant Curator was opened in Limerick Museum.
Via the medium of Limerick Museum’s natural history collections, this exhibition will explore changes within Ireland’s ecosystem over many millions of years.
Natural history collections have been used to study many important scientific questions, including disease outbreaks, climate change, extinction, pollution, and evolution. These collections include preserved animals, skeletons, fossils, and plants stored in museums and universities worldwide.
Some of the species on display no longer exist in the natural world and act as a powerful reminder that creatures which once roared and roamed freely, can now only be seen within the cased confines of natural history collections.
The exhibition invites the public to engage with our rarely seen natural history collections. The collection is diverse and includes examples of palaeontology, zoology, oology, entomology, and botany in the form of an important herbarium amassed by the renowned Limerick botanist Charlotte O'Brien of Mount Trenchard, Foynes, Co. Limerick. The exhibition will highlight that the Museum is not merely a storehouse of 'old things' but a tangible record of a changing planet.
Dr Zara Power, Assistant Curator of Limerick Museum commented:
“This exhibition is an exploration and consideration of our extraordinary natural world in all its complexity and colour. This display celebrates the remarkable diversity of life around us. For in the words of the great David Attenborough, ‘the future of all the natural world, on which we all depend, is in our hands.’”
Dr Matthew Potter, Curator of Limerick Museum said:
“I am particularly grateful to Zara for her tireless professionalism and enthusiasm in curating this wonderful exhibition for the people of Limerick. I also want to acknowledge the generous funding provided by the Heritage Council under its Heritage Stewardship Scheme, which enabled Limerick Museum to mount the exhibition.”
Specimens of Change. An Exhibition of Limerick Museum’s Natural History Collections, curated by Dr Zara Power, Assistant Curator Limerick Museum, will be on display in Limerick Museum until 31 December 2026.
Limerick Museum is situated in the Old Franciscan Friary on Henry Street, next door to Dunnes Stores. The Museum is open to the public Monday to Friday 10.00am to 5.00pm; Saturday 10.00am-1.00pm and 2.00pm to 5.00pm. Admission is FREE.