Record breaking visitor numbers at National Museum
OVER one million visitors (1,001,295) have visited the National Museum of Ireland’s (NMI) four sites since the start of this year.
Not only is this the sixth consecutive year that the museum has attracted over one million visitors, but it is also the first time this figure has been reached as early as the first week in September and it represents a cumulative increase of 16% on same period last year and is ahead of visitor trends from Fáilte Ireland.
The director of the National Museum of Ireland, Raghnall Ó Floinn, commented: “We are delighted to have welcomed over one million visitors earlier than in previous years and given the limited resources at the disposal of the NMI, this is undoubtedly a significant achievement.
“The launch of our Proclaiming A Republic: The 1916 Rising exhibition has brought in just over 115,000 visitors since it opened on March 2. This has been a very significant exhibition for the island of Ireland and has proved to be an emotional experience for many visitors. We are particularly delighted to note that people are returning for multiple visits.”
An unprecedented 100,000 school children, families and adults from all over Ireland participated in the museum’s public programme of tours, workshops, talks, lectures and other events in the first six months of 2016.
Free admission is an important factor and the museum continues to be a key player in the cultural life of the country and a key attraction for tourists at its three Dublin-based sites and the Museum of Country Life in Turlough Park, Castlebar.
Locally, two new exhibitions recently opened at the Museum of Country Life at Turlough Park. The Hoard and the Sword – Echoes of the Vikings in Mayo explores the discovery of silver bracelets from Cushalogurt and a Viking sword found in the River Moy at Coolcronaun. The 2016 RDS Craft Exhibition Awards is an annual showcase for excellence in Irish craft. The exhibition is a contemporary expression of high quality craftsmanship, continuing the tradition of craft working in rural Ireland in times gone by, and is on view until November 13.
Culture Night 2016
Meanwhile on Culture Night 2016 (Friday, September 16), the Museum of Country Life in Turlough Park will host a talk on The Vikings on the Atlantic Coast of Ireland. The talk will be given by Eamon P. (Ned) Kelly, who is the former Keeper of Irish Antiquities in the National Museum of Ireland.
Ned will be well known to many people in Co. Mayo. He is an expert on Viking age archaeology in Ireland and has written extensively on the Vikings in Ireland.
In this talk, Ned will present evidence for Viking activity on the west coast of Ireland, including the coast of Mayo.
The talk will take place at 7.30 p.m. Admission is free. The museum and the museum café will remain open to visitors until 9 p.m. for Culture Night.