New National Museum of Ireland plan launched at Turlough Park

THE National Museum of Ireland (NMI) has launched a new five-year strategy which will focus on three key lenses of community, planet and shared knowledge. The strategy focuses on the museum’s role in shaping the future, by considering lessons from the past.

Reflecting NMI’s expanded ambition to build and nurture its relationship with local communities over the next five years, representatives of local community groups, including the Mayo Textile Group, Mayo Artsquad, Mayo Genealogy Group and the Irish Community and Archive Network, joined members of the museum’s board to officially launch the strategy at the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, at Turlough Park, Castlebar.

Speaking at the launch, the outgoing chair of the NMI, Catherine Heaney, said: “The National Museum of Ireland is the guardian of Ireland’s cultural heritage and identity. We are at the forefront of Ireland’s cultural life, preserving and presenting its unique stories both at home and abroad.

“A museum should never be a passive place, rather it should take risks and produce work that challenges ways of seeing not just our past, but examine how our past is impacting on our future. In this capacity, we need to embrace change to maintain the trust and engagement of our visitors.

“It has been one of the privileges of my life to support the development of this institution through my time as chair and I fully believe that the NMI will continue its positive trajectory of innovation, transparency, collaboration and accessibility.”

NMI director Lynn Scarff said: “This strategy is rooted in our core aim of providing greater accessibility to our collections and strengthening our audience’s engagement with Ireland’s cultural heritage through diverse programmes and collaboration.

“The strategy will guide us as we embark on an exciting new chapter in the museum’s history, alongside major capital projects that will revitalise our sites. From the upcoming 20th Century History of Ireland suite at NMI-Decorative Arts and History to the refurbishment of NMI-Natural History, we are improving the visitor experience and orienting the museum at the to ensure its relevance and centrality at the core of important national discussions.

“The lenses we have created to shape and view our work are based on current concerns and challenges around greater inclusivity, collaboration, and addressing climate change.”

The plan was developed through a series of workshops and engagement with the NMI board, NMI staff and a wider stakeholder group across the public and private sectors.