Michael Davitt Museum retains accreditation at ceremony

The Michael Davitt Museum in Straide has retained it full museum accreditation under the The Heritage Council's Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI). 

The assessors noted the improvements made across all aspects of its operations from care of collections, professionalism of staff, to improved display and interpretation.

The museum was first opened in 1984 in a pre-Penal Laws church where Michael Davitt himself was baptised and contains a range of documents and artifacts relating to Davitt's legacy. 

Its curator, Yvonne Corcoran Loftus, was described by assessors as a wonderful asset to the organisation, accomplishing ambitious goals and motivating her dedicated team.

Factors taken into account during the assessment process include how museums care for their collections and visitors, as well as governance and management standards, and their education and exhibition programmes. 

The Michael Davitt museums was among 13 museums to be given official accreditation under the Heritage Council’s Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI) at a recent ceremony in Kilkenny Castle. 

In a statement on social media, the Michael Davitt Museum described the accolade as 'a testament to the hard work of our management and staff in caring for collections, museum management, education, exhibition, and visitor services'.

"Thank you to everyone who has supported us in our journey. A special thank you to The Heritage Council and the programme coordinator, Lesley-Ann Hayden, for their ongoing advice and support. We would like to congratulate all the institutions at today's ceremony."

Selection under the MSPI is a major accolade with accredited museums considered to have attained excellence across a range of areas.

It is currently Ireland's only accreditation programme for museums.