The Red Cross flag that covered Michael Collins’s body after his death at Béal na mBláth is among the items with Cork origins which feature in the expansion of the Changing Ireland Galleries at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks in Dublin.

The flag is one of special significance, and has been added to the museum’s collection, as have his infamous blue ‘wolf slippers’ as part of the recent expansion, the biggest in over two decades.

It was draped across his body on the journey from Cork to Shanakill Hospital after his fatal wounding at Béal na mBlath.

The father of the donor, Mr John Connolly, was one of the ambulance crew and a medical officer with the 3rd Battalion.

The Red Cross flag which draped Michael Collins' after his fatal wounding at Béal na mBlath.

Other objects from Cork include a delicate handkerchief bordered with Youghal needlepoint lace made by the Youghal Co-operative Lace Society c.1912; the 1961 Fender Stratocaster owned and personally modified by musician Rory Gallagher (1948–1995); a lace sample for Queen Mary’s dress train, commissioned by the Ulster Women’s Unionist Council and made by the Youghal Co-operative Lace Society c.1911; a topee helmet worn on foreign service by Henry Ross (b.1877) of Cork in the Indian Medical Service c.1902; and a razor wire from the Good Shepherd Convent and Laundry, Sunday’s Well.

The Changing Ireland Galleries was officially launched at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks last week, after a full refurbishment of a part of Collins Barracks that had been untouched since the departure of the Defence Forces almost 30 years ago.

Dónal Maguire, Keeper of Art and Industry, National Museum of Ireland looking at Rory Gallagher's iconic Fender Stratocaster (1961).

The Changing Ireland Galleries feature hundreds of political, social and cultural objects from the Museum’s 20th and 21st century collections, ‘extraordinary and everyday artefacts’ that have borne witness to the last 150 years.

In keeping with the museum’s desire to develop dynamic and engaging exhibits, the new galleries have been designed to accommodate regular changes in the display, giving the public unprecedented access to the collection and supporting the long-term conservation of the objects.