Cliona Is Youngest Curator

Clíona Purcell (29), a native of Carrick-on-Suir who has recently been appointed Head Curator of Waterford Treasures’ collection of museums in Waterford City, is the youngest head curator of any designated museum in the country. 

The Waterford Treasures museums tell the story of Ireland's oldest city across five museums and a guided walking tour of the Viking Triangle, where visitors explore 1000 years of history in 1000 paces in the historic city centre.

Clíona studied History and English at the University of Limerick and went on to complete a Masters in History. During her undergraduate degree, she was awarded the Brian Faloon Prize by the UL History department for her dissertation “Throwing Off The ‘Mighty Incubus’: Irish Municipal Revolution and the Development of the Waterford Corporation, 1828-1840”. Throughout her studies, she developed a special interest in eighteenth-century social history. She also worked for Kilkenny Castle, the Hunt Museum and Sound Heritage Ireland during this period.

Clíona returned to Waterford Treasures as a researcher and exhibitions assistant in 2018. In 2019 she curated her first solo exhibition “For All the Tea in China”, a collection of extraordinary Chinese porcelain with Irish arms displayed in context across the Bishop's Palace. Later she became the Education Officer and then Curator and Programmes Manager, where she established the museum's vibrant Education Programme, including handling workshops and activity-based learning for students of all ages.