IMA Annual Conference
2025 Irish Museums Association Annual Conference
Collections in Transition: the life cycle of objects
5-6 March 2025, Tralee
The 2025 IMA Annual Conference, Collections in Transition - the life cycle of objects, will take place at Siamsa Tíre theatre and arts centre in Tralee, Co Kerry, on Wednesday 5 March and Thursday 6 March, supported by Kerry County Museum.
This conference will explore strategic solutions and good practice associated with the life cycle of collections, addressing themes relating to ethical stewardship and policy development, innovative approaches to collection management and access, and community engagement and shared ownership, among others. It invites delegates to, through discussions, consider what are the ethical implications and management strategies associated with these processes within the museum sector: how do museums navigate these complex phases while maintaining ethical integrity and public trust?
Conference Speakers include:
Clare Ablett, Curator of Transport and Industry, National Museums NI: Ulster Transport Museum; Martin Bradley, Barrister and Archivist; Moya Carey, Curator of Islamic Collections, Chester Beatty; Ann Chumbley, Collection Registrar, Butler Gallery; Stephen Ferguson, former Curator, An Post Museum & Archive; Kevin Gosling, Chief Executive, Collections Trust; John Gibney, Assistant Editor, Royal Irish Academy; Lesley-Ann Hayden, MSPI Programme Manager, Heritage Council; Lar Joye, Port Heritage Director, Dublin Port; Diaa Lagan, Artist; Evelyn Leon Nunez, Documentation Assistant, Crawford Art Gallery; Sian McInerney, Collections and Research Manager, The Hunt Museum; Julieanne McMahon, Cultural Heritage Curator, National Trust; Anna McSweeney, Lecturer, Trinity College Dublin; Gillian O’Brien, Professor of Public History, Liverpool John Moores University; Helen O’Carroll, Curator, Kerry County Museum; Jean O’Donovan, Registrar, Crawford Art Gallery; Patricia O’Hare, Research and Education Officer, Muckross House; Zoë Reid, Keeper, National Archives; Emma Reisz, Lecturer, Queen’s University Belfast; Niamh Twomey, Collection Assistant, Butler Gallery; Cara Trant, Executive Director, Kerry Writers' Museum; Eithne Verling, Director, Galway City Museum; Gregory Walls, PhD Candidate, Trinity College Dublin; Caitlin White, Research Fellow, Trinity College Dublin; and Briony Widdis, Research Fellow, Queen’s University Belfast.
Use the side bar menu to browse conference pages or click on the links below. Further information will be shared as the conference planning develops: