National Museum of Ireland attracts over 1m visitors

National Museum of Ireland attracts over 1m visitors


Free admission is key says Director

Áine Ryan

THE National Museum of Ireland has just confirmed it is the most-visited national cultural institution in the country, despite well-publicised funding pressures. Over 1 million people have visited the institution’s four sites so far this year.
The only branch of the National Museum to be situated outside Dublin city is The Museum of Country Life at historic Turlough House and Park, near Castlebar. It attracts some 100,000 visitors each year. Welcoming the news, Director Raghnall Ó Floinn observed that ‘free admission’ to the museums was a key factor, which meant that ‘our collections can be enjoyed by all’.  
“There is clearly a sustained public interest in our museums by visitors both from Ireland and from further afield. The visitor attendance can be attributed to the museum’s varied public programming as well as the many exhibitions and galleries displaying and interpreting the collections in our care,” Mr Ó Floinn said.  He continued: “The museum continues to be a key player in the cultural life of the country and a key attraction for tourists to our museums both in Dublin and Mayo. I want to pay particular thanks to the museum staff and congratulate them on this achievement - without their enthusiasm and hard work this would not have been possible.”
As well as the Museum of Country Life, the National Museum’s other branches are dedicated to Archaeology, Natural History, Decorative Arts and History.  
The award-winning Museum of Country Life, which houses the National Folklife Collection, is currently hosting a temporary exhibition, entitled, ‘Preserving the Peace: Policing on the island of Ireland 1814 – 2014’.  The exhibition runs until April 2015. This is the fourth consecutive year in which the National Museum of Ireland has attracted over 1 million visitors. This figure for 2014 has been reached a month earlier than in previous years representing an increase of 5 percent on this time last year.
The National Museum issued a statement  recently confirming  a funding increase of ‘€650,000 in 2015 was required in order to maintain services at existing minimal levels, along with certain assurances regarding liabilities’, but that the grant of €11,358,000 was the same amount as 2014.