AN exhibition dedicated to one of Limerick’s most famous sons has opened at The Hunt Museum in Limerick City.
The highly anticipated exhibition of Richard Harris’ personal archives, From Dickie to Richard – Richard Harris: Role of a Lifetime, celebrates one of Ireland’s most magnetic and unconventional talents in the city where his story began.
The first public exhibition of the Richard Harris Archive – controversially donated by the Harris family to University College Cork in 2022 instead of to an institution in his native Limerick – brings together personal letters, annotated scripts, rare photographs, poetry, and memorabilia that have never before been on display.
Harris’ sons Damian, Jared, and Jamie attended the official opening along with family members and close friends, where they were greeted by Mayor John Moran.
Among the many exhibition highlights is the original crown worn by Harris in Camelot, a cherished rugby jersey honouring his lifelong love for Munster Rugby, and intimate 8mm film footage capturing Harris with his family at home in Limerick. These sit alongside material that spans his entire career — from Shakespeare to Harry Potter, The Field to Gladiator.
“This exhibition is a celebration not only of Richard Harris the actor, but of the man — the Limerick native, the poet, the rebel, the rugby lover,” said Teresa Crowley, Hunt Museum CEO.
Curated in partnership with The Hunt Museum, the Harris Family and UCC’s Special Collections and Archives team, the exhibition is open until November 16.
Harris’ sons, speaking on behalf of the family, said their father “was a prolific writer and kept everything: poems, short stories, scripts. Whether finished or works in progress. This exhibition gives people a sense of the depth and humour behind the public image.”
“It means a lot to us to see it begin here in Limerick,” they added.
UCC President Professor John O’Halloran said that “the exhibition comprises carefully selected artefacts from the larger archive now housed, protected, preserved, and researched at University College Cork for generations to come”.
“We were keen that the first public exhibition of the Richard Harris Archives occurred in Limerick and this collaboration with the Hunt Musuem has produced a stunning tribute to one of the most iconic film actors of the late 20th century.”
