Lusitania – The Next Chapter: An Evening of Art, History & the Future of the Lusitania Museum will bring together two special guest speakers, the premiere of a new fundraising campaign video and an update on the development of the proposed Lusitania Museum at the Old Head of Kinsale.

The evening will feature an illustrated presentation by artist and art teacher Áine Andrews, entitled ‘A Portrait of Hugh Lane: A Life Cut Short’. Áine presents the popular Famous Paintings and their Hidden Histories series at Triskel Arts Centre in Cork. A practising artist and graduate of Crawford College of Art and Design, she spent many years teaching art at Coláiste/Gaelcholáiste Choilm in Ballincollig and is the author and co-author of several art education textbooks.

Her presentation will explore Hugh Lane, the Cork-born art dealer, philanthropist and patron of modern art who died aboard Lusitania in 1915. Through John Singer Sargent’s celebrated portrait of Lane, Áine will explore his remarkable life, his place in the Edwardian art world, his collection of Impressionist works and his ambition to establish a gallery of modern art in Dublin. Lane's life came to a tragic end aboard Lusitania, within sight of the Cork coastline.

The event will also welcome Mike Brady, founder of Oceanliner Designs, travelling from Melbourne, Australia. Originally established as an illustration business, Oceanliner Designs has grown into an international maritime history platform with almost one million YouTube subscribers and more than 200 million views. Mike and his team combine meticulous historical research with sophisticated digital visuals, animation and 3D modelling to bring the world’s great ocean liners back to life, including RMS Lusitania. More details on Oceanlliner Designs here: https://www.oceanlinerdesigns.com/

The evening will mark an important moment for the Lusitania Museum project with the official launch of a new fundraising campaign for the proposed museum.

The community-led project has been almost two decades in development. The restoration of the Old Head Signal Tower was completed in 2015, followed by the creation of the Lusitania Memorial Garden in 2017. The project is now in the advanced stages of its third phase, with planning permission secured for a dedicated Lusitania Museum at the Old Head.

The next challenge is to secure the capital funding required to deliver the museum, including the necessary match funding. The evening will provide an opportunity to hear an update on the current position of Phase 3 and the work being undertaken to bring the museum project to delivery.

Attendees will also be among the first to see the new Lusitania Museum fundraising campaign video, produced over the summer by Made to Measure Films. The video features members of the museum's volunteer committee alongside relatives of those aboard Lusitania, highlighting the decades of dedication by the local community and the enduring family connections.

Tickets for Lusitania – The Next Chapter are €20 and are available here: https://tickets.oldheadofkinsale.com/events/lusitaniamuseumoldheadsignaltower/2452263

Doors open at 7pm, with the event commencing at 7.30pm.