Irish Labour History Museum

Advantages: Complete interactive history of Hong Kong
Disadvantages: Quite long for younger children

...This museum charts the entire history of Hong Kong from prehistoric days up until, and past, the handover of power from Britain to China. The museum follows the timescale chronologically starting with dinosaurs. There is an interactive element to some sections which I found helpful as parts of it were long and started to drag. Being more interested in the recent years, I rushed the parts focusing on plants and wildlife, but all sections are in depth and will keep entertained those who have an interest in that particular subject. As I reached the end of the Museum I found myself becoming more and more engrossed and by the time I watched the final video of the handover I didnt want to leave.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Interesting history, building and contents especially if combined with a visit to Pitt rivers museum
Disadvantages: No refreshments and lack of tourist guide information

...;recognition of the labourer as a creative member of society”. So Ruskin had a great influence in the design and decoration of the building. The museum building is a tribute to the subtle marriage of art and architecture, fabric and fantasy and ethos and engineering. It epitomises Ruskin’s ideals of ‘useful’ art executed by the craftsman. A stunning example of this are the 126 columns in the museum – each of a different British decorative rock and with their capitals covered in carvings of plants which represent different botanical species. Many of these were carved by the O’Shea brothers, the Irish masons specially brought in from Dublin, copying from specimens from the local botanical gardens. Although there are many superb carvings to be found both inside and outside the museum they were never fully... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Cheesy but sweet and informative
Disadvantages: Difficult to get to without a car

...with this part, as it would be the easy thing, historically, to blame English landlords for the slow recovery rate of the people and the land, and an awful lot of Irish narrative claims the English took advantage of the Irish in this period and used them as slave labour in return for food. Tour guide man was at pains to explain that the English employed the Irish to build roads and walls to engender a sense of worth; to feed their tenants at the same time every day would have eventually resulted in the English landlords effectively farming people. Don't get me wrong: I'm not labouring under the delusion that the English landlords were all about the spirit of kinship, rather that the people of Inishowen were not badly treated, and that it's refreshing to have a version of history that strives for truth. While describing the after... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful