Every Person Is Connected. Such is the ethos of EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, a cultural institution that tells the story of the Irish diaspora, from departure to destinations across the world. Ours is a country with an especially long history of emigration, stretching from before the Famine to the present day. Once, people left seeking freedom, education, or opportunity; today, many go abroad driven by rising costs and a housing crisis at home. Celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2026, EPIC has quickly become a staple of the Dublin Docklands, housed in the historic chq building, with one major goal – telling the true story of the Irish, free from stereotypes.
Indeed, EPIC is no stranger to tackling the most common caricatures of Irish people; campaigns such as Paddy AI and Dear Erin leaned into the clichés served most online and in film, highlighting them only to reinforce how absurd or offensive they can be. A tongue-in-cheek campaign featuring Love/Hate’s Peter Coonan, briefly feared to have gone full diddly-eye in a Wild Mountain Thyme-style romcom, showed just how far EPIC will go to challenge stereotypes. Authenticity and accountability mean something to this museum, which makes its latest temporary exhibition particularly poignant.
EPIC’s latest temporary exhibition, Frontlines: Irish Journalists Abroad, explores two centuries of Irish news writing. Across the world, diaspora journalists have worked to reveal human rights abuses and hold the powerful to account. Their reporting on conflict and hardship has shaped public opinion and provided an impetus for change. In the major centres of Irish settlement, they have challenged negative stereotypes and helped immigrants adapt to their adopted homelands. And they have, in some cases, entirely refashioned what it means to be Irish, crafting new identities in London, Paris and Buenos Aires.
Many of these journalists were household names at the height of their careers but are largely forgotten today; this is why Frontlines is so important. The exhibition, which runs until the end of March 2026, documents the stories of reporters who worked tirelessly to expose political and social injustices, giving readers a front-row seat to history. It pays tribute to their commitment to bringing the stories of marginalised people to light, from the victims of the 1890s Armenian massacres to the millions displaced by the ongoing civil war in Sudan.
Among those featured is Des Mullan, who covered the Biafran famine caused by a Nigerian government blockade during the country’s civil war. Mullan’s on-the-ground reports, published in the Evening Herald, Irish Independent and Sunday Independent, stirred the hearts of readers to send in donations for Biafra. Mullan’s instinct to question and inform took root early in life. Having been diagnosed with tuberculosis in his teens, he campaigned for better treatment, helping to improve conditions for fellow patients. His travel typewriter and Biafra-stamped passport are also part of the exhibition and available for public viewing.
Another person featured is Michael Davitt, best known as the founder of the Irish National Land League and as a journalist on the international stage. In 1903, he travelled to Kishinev, Russia, to investigate an anti-Jewish pogrom. His dispatches were widely reprinted and later compiled into a book, Within the Pale: The True Story of Anti-Semitic Persecutions in Russia.
Trailblazing figures are at the heart of Frontlines, including Charlotte O’Conor Eccles. Born in 1863, she was an Irish journalist from Roscommon who moved to London determined to carve out a place for herself in a male-dominated industry. Eccles wrote extensively for British and Irish publications, championing women’s education, and social progress; her 1897 novel The Rejuvenation of Miss Semaphore remains a witty piece of satire about Victorian society.
Frontlines also shines a light on modern-day reporters working overseas. Among the journalists interviewed for the exhibition video is Caitríona Perry, RTÉ’s Washington Correspondent during the Trump administration; she gained recognition for her sharp political reporting and coverage of US-Irish relations. Perry, who is now chief presenter with BBC News in Washington, reflects on how her Irishness has helped her connect with people in the US.
One of EPIC’s key goals as a museum is to spotlight the incredible achievements and impact of the Irish diaspora around the world, and this latest exhibition does exactly that. It demonstrates how Irish journalists, both past and present, have played a crucial role in keeping people informed and countering false narratives. Frontlines also highlights the strength of Irish writing as a literary craft, with other featured names including Maeve Brennan, a long-time contributor to the New Yorker, and Oscar Wilde, who once edited a Victorian woman’s magazine.
Frontlines: Irish Journalists Abroad will run until March 23rd. Exhibition entry is included with general admission tickets to EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum. Frontlines is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and curated by EPIC’s Historian-in-Residence Dr Catherine Healy.
For more information and ticket purchases, head to epicchq.com.
