To commemorate the Decade of the Centenaries, Mayo County Council Arts Service, in partnership with the Jackie Clarke Collection, awarded artist, Margo McNulty a residency working with artefacts in the museum relating to the War of Independence, the Treaty, and Civil War. The project, entitled, Keepsakes, will involve uncovering examples of personal objects, mementoes or stories in Co Mayo relating to the above period.

McNulty is hoping to stimulate interest and cooperation from Mayo people, families or communities, who are the custodians of keepsakes from that period. For the artist, family keepsakes are the containers of the lived first-hand experiences of Mayo people during this turbulent period. These material objects can reveal the interweaving of personal and public histories and can unlock memory and meaning. Individuals and families are the custodians of that lived experiences which can sometimes be embodied in these keepsakes. The project may promote a deeper understanding of the impact of the events that took place over 100 years ago on Mayo people and families. The  residency will culminate with a number of publicly accessible artworks in November-December 2021.