Menageries in Ireland, 1790-1840

Menageries were groups of wild animals exhibited in cages during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. These menageries were often itinerant exhibitions that toured throughout Ireland and Britain in horse-drawn caravans, and they developed in conjunction with entertainments supplied at fairs and other large social events. They evolved from displays of single animals into large collections of creatures, and by the mid-nineteenth century, they had become considerable commercial operations. Much research has been carried out on menageries in nineteenth-century Britain and a great deal has been written on the subject. However, apart from Juliana Adelman’s Civilised by beasts which examines the relationship between humans and animals in Dublin from the 1830s onwards, and Catherine de Courcy’s history of Dublin Zoo which explores its foundations and development, the subject of menageries in Ireland has received no attention. This article looks at the exposure of Irish people to exotic and rare creatures in menageries between 1790 and 1840. As the majority of menageries visiting Ireland during that period were based in England, few primary records in the form of correspondence, business accounts or records of purchase and sales of animals are available. This makes it particularly challenging to recreate the history of menageries in Ireland and consequently, this article draws primarily on newspapers and advertisements for travelling menageries as well as on contemporary accounts.