Matthew Potter
2002
| Address | Limerick Museum V94 C7W1 |
| Phone number | 061-557740 |
| Bio | 2017-present Curator Limerick Museum with Limerick City and County Council |
| Areas of expertise | The Anglo-Irish landed elite 1700-1921; nineteenth-century Irish politics; urban history; local government; chambers of commerce; death and cemeteries; Irish textiles industry, especially lace and tweed; local history of Limerick, Donegal, West Cork and Roscommon; modern Ireland. |
| Keywords | Museum; heritage; Anglo-Irish; landed elite; landlords; William Monsell; Irish Liberal Party; urban history; local government; municipal councils; borough corporations; chamber of commerce; death; burial; cemeteries; textiles industry; lace; tweed; Limerick; Donegal; West Cork; Clonakilty; Skibbereen; Boyle; Roscommon; modern Ireland |
| Nickname | Matthew Potter |
| Membership Type | Professional Historian |
| Education | BA in History University of London (First Class Honours) 1989 |
| Employment | 2017-present: Curator of Limerick Museum |
| Consultancy work | 1. Historical advisor to Limerick City and County Council. I have acted as a consultant and produced reports for Limerick City Council on a number of matters including the Honorary Freedom of the City, the Mayoralty and other civic traditions. In 2009, on my recommendation, the coat-of-arms of Limerick City Council were officially registered with the Chief Herald of Ireland. In addition I have edited and updated two booklets for the City Council: one on the mayors, bailiffs, sheriffs, and recipients of the honorary freedom of the city and the other on the principal mayoral chain. |
| Management & Administrative experience | Established in 1907 and opened in 1916, Limerick Museum is one of the oldest local authority museums in the state. As curator of the Museum I manage its collections of 65,000 artifacts, one of the largest in Ireland. This includes dealing with the acquisition, care and display of items with the aim of informing and educating the public. My duties include other activities, such as public relations, marketing, fundraising and education programmes. I also prepare budgets, manage staff and build relationships with both internal and external partners and stakeholders. Since my appointment, visitor numbers have quadrupled and staff numbers by 60 percent. I have curated or co-curated numerous exhibitions on topics such as Limerick lace, the Limerick Soviet, Limerick in 1916, Limerick’s military heritage, 1691-1918 and the history of Limerick City and County Councils. I have organised numerous conferences and symposia, both actual and virtual. |
| Teaching | Courses taught include: Education and Society in Modern Ireland; Nationalism and Unionism in Ireland 1800-1922; Introduction to Irish History from 1800 to the Present; Early Modern Europe; Early Modern Ireland; Imperialism and Decolonisation 1492-1997; Early Modern America and Modern/Contemporary Ireland. |
| Outreach activities | 1. Originator/co-organiser of the concept of commemorating the 1,100th anniversary of the foundation of Limerick City in 2023-24. 2. Originator/co-organiser of the concept of commemorating the 550th anniversary of the foundation of Donegal Town in 2024. 3. Public lectures to various groups, including local history societies, university history societies and in public libraries. |
| Committees & Associations | Committee Member of the Thomond Archaeological and Historical Society Committee Member of the Group for the Study of Irish Historic Settlement Member of the Board of Limerick Civic Trust Member of the County Donegal Historical Society Member of the Society for the Study of Nineteenth Century Ireland Member of Eighteenth Century Ireland Society Member of Economic and Social History Society of Ireland Member of the Limerick Chapter of the Irish Georgian Society Member of the Catholic Historical Society of Ireland Member of the Group for the Study of Historic Irish Settlement Member of the Society for Court Studies Member of the World History Association Member of the Classical Association of Ireland
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| Awards | 1. In 2016, I was appointed an Honorary Fellow of the Department of History, University of Limerick, an important distinction. The University of Limerick Adjunct Appointment process is designed to recognise individuals of superior achievement and distinction in their primary professional endeavours, who have been recognised by peers as outstanding in their fields and who make a significant contribution to the University of Limerick (UL) through teaching, mentoring, research programmes and Faculty development activities. 2. On 3 July 2024, I was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS) in recognition of my contribution to historical scholarship. 3. €215,000 in Research Funding to Date |
| Other activities | I am a member of Toastmasters International since 2003 and have served President, Secretary and PRO of Raheen Toastmasters Club. Toastmasters International is an educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping members improve their communication, public speaking and leadership skills. It has helped me to become a successful public speaker, an effective communicator and an assured and confident leader. |
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Historical images on the website from the National Library of Ireland on The Commons | Flickr