UCC Museum Studies MA students curate Bronze Age exhibition at Cork Public Museum

23 Jun 2026

• Life, Death, Legacy: Ireland’s Connected Bronze Age opens at Cork Public Museum.

A new exhibition at Cork Public Museum, curated by Museum Studies Masters students at University College Cork (UCC), is inviting visitors to explore the lives, beliefs, and connections of Bronze Age communities in Ireland.

'Life, Death, Legacy: Ireland’s Connected Bronze Age' will run until the end of April 2027 at Cork Public Museum in Fitzgerald Park.

Developed as part of a long-standing collaboration between Cork Public Museum and UCC’s Department of Archaeology, the exhibition gives Museum Studies MA students the opportunity to gain practical, hands-on experience in exhibition development and museum practice. Each year, students work closely with museum staff to research, design, and deliver a public exhibition, bridging academic study with professional training.

Transporting visitors 4,000 years back in time, the exhibition explores a period of significant technological innovation, social change, and long-distance trade. Through artefacts discovered across Munster, the display reveals how Bronze Age communities were connected across Ireland and wide European trade networks.

Highlights of the exhibition include bronze axes that demonstrate the importance of copper and tin trade, an intricately crafted hunting horn showcasing the remarkable skill of Bronze Age craftspeople, and a rare cauldron illustrating the role of communal feasting in social life. Visitors can also discover luxury items made from gold and amber, many of which were deliberately deposited in bogs, alongside decorated pottery vessels used in burial practices.

The exhibition also includes interactive and accessible elements designed to engage a broad audience. Visitors can handle specially created 3D prints of artefacts, view a student-produced film reinterpreting Ireland’s earliest myths, and access sensory kits tailored to different visitor needs.

Dr Alexandra Fletcher, Lecturer in Museum Studies at UCC, said: “This exhibition gives our students invaluable experience of working directly with museum collections, audiences, and exhibition design in a professional setting. A core aim of the MA in Museum Studies is to combine academic learning with practical museum experience, preparing students for careers in museums, heritage, and cultural institutions both in Ireland and internationally. Projects like this allow students to develop those skills while also thinking critically about the role museums play in connecting people with the past in meaningful and accessible ways.”

Commenting on the experience curating the exhibition, Sydney Huynh, Museum Studies MA student, said: “It was an exciting new experience; the project was challenging and rewarding. Leading my peers as their project manager developed my organization, leadership, stakeholder management, budgeting, and many other skills. Seeing the exhibition come together was a signal to me that the effort and time my class and I put in were worth it. From ideas to execution, the exhibition turned out beautifully in all its features.

Kay Davis, Museum Studies MA student, said: “The exhibition provided valuable professional experience and was an excellent opportunity to present our skills to the public. I enjoyed working closely with the staff at the Cork Public Museum and appreciated their expertise throughout the process, particularly regarding the handling and display of 4000 year old objects. While we were met with challenges along the way, the 2026 class has created a thoughtful and well-designed exhibition we hope all will enjoy.”

Life, Death, Legacy: Ireland’s Connected Bronze Age is free to visit at Cork Public Museum, Fitzgerald Park, Cork, until the end of April 2027. For more information, visit: https://linktr.ee/life.death.legacy

Developing future leaders in museums and heritage sectors internationally

As the only dedicated museum training programme offered by a third-level institution in the Republic of Ireland, UCC’s Masters in Museum Studies occupies a unique position in preparing the next generation of museum and heritage professionals.

Combining academic studies and research with practical, hands-on experience, the programme equips graduates with the skills, knowledge, and critical perspective needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving cultural sector.

For further information about the programme, including entry requirements and course content, visit the course page.