Travelling Banner Exhibition | Portraits of the Invisible
Explore Portraits of the Invisible, a brand new travelling banner exhibition on display for a limited time in Mayo, Kildare and Cavan.
The NLI is delighted to announce Portraits of the Invisible, a new travelling banner exhibition created as part of the official Cultural Programme for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU 2026. We are delighted to partner with North Mayo Heritage Centre, Castletown House and Cavan Country Museum in sharing the story told in this banner exhibition.
This poignant exhibition explores the experiences of Irish servicemen, medics, nurses and non-combatants in the First World War (1914-1918) through a series of portrait photographs. The portraits are part of Europeana (www.europeana.eu), a Europe-wide digital archive created to mark the centenary of the conflict.
For the latest information, including opening hours, click on the links below for each location:
- North Mayo Heritage Centre, Co Mayo | 1 July – 13 August
- Castletown House, Celbridge, Co Kildare | 18 August – 30 September
- Cavan County Museum, Cavan | 5 October – 30 November
The National Library of Ireland acknowledges the support of the Culture Programme for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026 in helping to display these NLI exhibitions in various venues throughout the country during the EU Presidency, after which they will be available to borrow as part of the 'Borrow a Banner' initiative. 'Borrow a Banner' enables local venues around the country to borrow a banner exhibition featuring imagery of original NLI collection items. For further details and the range of exhibitions available see here.
Funded as part of the Culture Programme for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026.
