400 cuckoo clocks go on display as time springs forward

Waterford City, Ireland – A new exhibition featuring over 400 cuckoo clocks has opened to the public at the Irish Museum of Time, coinciding with the clocks springing forward. The collection, believed to be the largest of its kind globally, showcases timepieces originating from Germany’s Black Forest, with many dating back to the 19th century.

Largest Cuckoo Clock Exhibition Opens in Ireland

The collection was acquired by museum benefactor David Boles from Maz and Roman Piekarski, two Polish brothers who closed their private cuckoo clock museum near Manchester, UK, after more than 50 years of collecting. Boles, along with Colman Curran and Eamonn McEneaney, spent two-and-a-half years preparing the clocks for display in a newly restored 19th-century building known as Central Hall.

The new wing of the museum is designed to evoke the valleys of the Black Forest, the region where cuckoo clockmaking originated in the 18th century. Farming families began crafting the clocks during the winter months, developing a distinctive style characterized by intricate carvings and the iconic cuckoo call.

The exhibition includes a variety of clocks, including one, two, and eight-day models, as well as wall and table clocks, automaton pieces, quarter-striking clocks, showpieces, and miniatures. Many of the clocks have undergone conservation work, and a century-old fairground organ has also been restored.

Boles believes the collection is unique. “You can buy cuckoo clocks, they turn up, ordinary ones, no problem at all. But the earlier ones are very special. They don’t survive well because they are prone to woodworm, rot and so on,” he said. “Any of the earlier ones that survive are, by definition, rare.”

Project Manager Eamonn McEneaney emphasized the clocks’ origin. “All of these clocks were made in the Black Forest in Germany. There is a fallacy that cuckoo clocks come from Switzerland. They don’t. They are all made in the Black Forest,” he stated. The design aims to immerse visitors in the sights and sounds of the Black Forest, with backlit walls and ambient sounds.

Visitors can expect to hear the sound of a cuckoo on the hour, and some clocks will chime with a quail call on the quarter-hour. Not all 400 clocks will be operational simultaneously to avoid overwhelming the auditory experience.

Colman Curran, co-founder of the Irish Museum of Time, described the exhibition as a sensory experience, differing from the museum’s more traditional displays. He added that the museum serves as a national repository for Irish clocks and watches, including those from Northern Ireland.

Elizabeth Clooney, who initially proposed the museum with her husband, Curran, highlighted the extensive preparation involved in the exhibition. “From the incredible preparation of the clocks in England, storing them, then unwrapping them, the itinerary, every detail. An awful lot of work went into it,” she said.

The exhibition was officially opened by Minister of State John Cummins, who called it a “remarkable celebration of craftsmanship, heritage and imagination.” He added that the exhibition strengthens Waterford’s position as a cultural destination.