€7.5m Lusitania museum planned for Old Head of Kinsale

A €7.5 million museum dedicated to the RMS Lusitania will be built on the Old Head of Kinsale, Co Cork.

The community‑led group behind the project will locate the museum beside the renovated signal house (restored in 2015) and the garden of remembrance created in 2017, which lists the names of those who died or survived the liner’s sinking on 7 May 1915.

Shannon Forde, the organisation’s manager, said the museum will be the world’s first dedicated to the Lusitania, with construction hoped to begin before the end of 2028 and an opening targeted for 2030. The group already owns the wreck and holds a collection of artefacts such as portholes, telegraphs, plates, letters and postcards.

Planning permission has been granted by the county council and the Heritage Council is being consulted to ensure high standards for preservation. Funding is expected from Fáilte Ireland schemes along the Wild Atlantic Way, the Rural Regeneration Fund, the Ireland Fund and local fundraising.

To launch the fundraising drive, an event will be held at St Catherine’s Cultural Centre, Kinsale, on 5 November at 7 pm, featuring a presentation by artist Áine Andrews on Hugh Lane, the Cork‑born art dealer who perished on the Lusitania.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Joaquin Carfagna / Pexels.