St Patrick’s centre re-opens following exhibition refurbishment
The Saint Patrick Centre in Downpatrick, County Down, has reopened following a refurbishment of the exhibition areas by Marcon Fit-Out.
To celebrate the centres 20th anniversary, they exhibition underwent a redevelopment. Funded by Tourism Northern Ireland, the works included updated AV content, physical interpretation, and interactivity. The exhibition tells the story of Saint Patrick, through his life and adventures from his boyhood in Roman Britain to his captivity by Irish pirates, his slavery on Slemish Mountain and escape.
It is the only permanent exhibition in the world about Ireland’s Patron Saint, who founded his first church nearby and is buried in the vicinity of the centre in Downpatrick.
The new exhibition features interactive displays and uses a multi-media approach and state-of-the art technology to focus on the historical Saint Patrick.
Visitors journey through the 11 zones of the exhibition encountering AV scripted and documentary films, beautiful imagery of the Irish landscape, bespoke physical structures, appealing setworks and hearing and reading the words of Saint Patrick himself. It includes new storyboards and an immersive projection table in the shape of Ireland, manufactured at our specialist joinery workshop.
New audio-visual content adds deeper engagement to the exhibition zones and updates the story of Saint Patrick for today’s visitors using contemporary techniques and design.
A new section has been included, showcasing how St Patricks day is celebrated across the world. On display are handmade Maori Irish-dancing costumes from the Auckland Parade in New Zealand, uniforms worn by the Lexington Minutemen at the Boston Parade and an insignia and sash from the president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in the United States.
