The Little Museum of Dublin was on my brief to-see list when I visited Dublin. I thought it would be a great place to begin or end my trip and I was correct. I visited on a Saturday during the George Bernard Shaw exhibit titled “Judging Shaw” and I enjoyed an educational and fun time.

My experience with Shaw was primarily through his Pygmalion which has been recreated numerous times. There’s certainly My Fair Lady and Pretty Woman and I will add Educating Rita and season one of Poldark (wake up Demelza!) The Shaw exhibit at The Little Museum of Dublin was remarkable and introduced me to a comprehensive history of Shaw’s life. He was a believer in feminism and his play Mrs. Warren’s Profession presents a woman who recognized she could use her body to make more money than she could working for someone else. Her profession causes strife with her daughter but Shaw writes Mrs. Warren as a heroine who provided for herself, her child and her employees. Why must women always bear the weight of society’s moral rules?

While Shaw was sympathetic to the rights of women (and enjoyed a decades long marriage that remained unconsummated), he was stridently anti-semitic and believed humanity could be better through the role of eugenics. He deemed a person disposable and a drain on society if they could not prove their worth and value and he proposed scientists should create a “gentlemanly gas” to efficiently kill them. He believed the German “Jewish Problem” could be solved this way.

Whoa. Shaw, you ARE being judged!

Although GB Shaw was the featured show, Dublin was clearly the star! I completed the Shaw exhibit just as the announcement for the tour began. A quick walk upstairs took me to the delight of my day, Joan, our tour guide! Joan efficiently gave us a history of how Dublin was created (Vikings, uprisings, revolts, beer and humor), told us about Trinity College (one of the oldest in Europe) and explained who the real Michael Collins was. Joan showed us mementos of President John F. Kennedy’s visit to Ireland in 1863 when he promised the city he would return but Dallas happened instead.

The Little Museum Of Dublin is located at 15 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2 and is open every day from 9:30 AM until 5:00 PM except Thursdays when they are open until 8:00 PM. The entry fee is €10.00 for the general public and €8.00 for senior citizens and students. Check their website to make sure Joan is there, you don’t want to miss her! And Joan, if you’re reading this, thanks for letting me spin the wheel! You helped make my Cancerversory special!

Have you visited the museum? I hope you met Joan!