2025 Irish Museums Association Annual Conference

(per running order)

Islamic Art in Ireland: activating the collections

This panel addresses a key moment in the life cycle of museum objects – that of new activation through scholarly publication, public engagement, contemporary artist response and gallery display.

Irish national collections hold a range of important objects from Islamic cultures, from manuscripts to ivory containers, textiles, ceramic vessels, metalwork and even part of a decorated wooden interior of an Ottoman Syrian house. The Chester Beatty in Dublin Castle is the most well-known of these Irish cultural institutions, and its Islamic collection is globally renowned and nationally treasured. However, many other national collections hold lesser-known objects that are nonetheless often of high quality and historic value, offering enormous potential for new scholarship, education, display and public engagement. This panel will discuss strategies for the activation of museum objects through teaching, display and response, offering three studies in Irish public collections, and asking how this energising strategy might be achieved elsewhere in Ireland.

The notion of ‘activation’ implies that these art objects are somehow currently dormant, or off access. In many cases, and for a variety of reasons, Islamic art is not on display or displayed without curatorial interpretation. This is largely due to a lack of comprehensive cataloguing, caused by an institutional lack of curatorial and conservation resources, meaning that Islamic objects are frequently functionally invisible as a result. This session will examine how connecting these disparate, at times invisible objects across the country through virtual networks of expertise and display could help to develop new understanding about important objects that can sometimes be difficult to see. 

Anna McSweeney, Lecturer, Trinity College Dublin 

Moya Carey, Curator of Islamic Collections, Chester Beatty 

Diaa Lagan, Artist

The O’Malley Bequest: from an artists’ studio to a museum collection

The Butler Gallery in Kilkenny is primarily known for staging exhibitions of emerging Irish and international artists. It is an accredited museum and holds a small permanent collection of artworks, mostly acquired by donation.

Kilkenny artists Tony and Jane O’Malley had an ongoing relationship with the Gallery, which included regular exhibitions of their work. Following Tony’s death in 2003, Jane devoted herself to cataloguing over 17,000 artworks and creating an extensive documentary archive. Upon her passing in June 2023, this comprehensive archive was bequeathed to the Butler Gallery. The bequest includes the artists’ house, their studio, and its contents, including drawings, sketchbooks, preparatory and exhibited paintings, three-dimensional works, the archive, library books, and a loom.

This presentation will explore the background to this potential acquisition as well as the capacity of the Butler Gallery to embark on such a project. It will consider the ethical and practical implications for a small museum taking on the family house and studio as well as undertaking a review of this large body of artwork and its associated documentary archive.

Ann Chumbley, Collection Registrar and Niamh Twomey, Collection Assistant, Butler Gallery  

From Archives to Audiences: Curating historical records for public display  

This panel conversation is centred around the Society & State: Ireland Through Its Records exhibition. Presented by the National Archives, the exhibition ran from April to September 2024 and displayed over one hundred records, many on public display for the first time. The exhibition involved a collaborative approach with the National Archives working with historians to bring this exhibition to life underscoring its commitment to bringing the records of the state to a wider audience through its public engagement programme. 

The panel members will discuss the challenges and opportunities that engaging with the public through the form of exhibition poses. Using the Society & State exhibition as an anchor, the collaborative team will explore issues of public engagement with archival collections, and the presentation, production, and curation of archival documents for public display. They will delve into how these factors were navigated in the Society & State exhibition.

The discussion will address the complexities of curating and displaying a granular history of everyday life in independent Ireland. It will cover wide-ranging challenges applicable to a range of museum contexts from the changing physicality and textuality of documents spanning almost a century, to the ethical implications of presenting personal stories and sensitive information about people, both from the past and those who are still alive.

The panel will also consider the innovative approaches taken to extend the life cycle of the Society & State exhibition. Despite not having a permanent exhibition space, the National Archives has proactively sought other venues to showcase and highlight their extensive collections. This strategy has allowed for greater public access and engagement with the archives’ rich historical records.

Finally, the panel will explore the opportunities for the future of exhibitions and the implications for museum and heritage studies, and public history, underscoring the National Archives’ ongoing commitment to making historical records accessible and engaging for the public.

John Gibney, Assistant Editor, Royal Irish Academy, Zoë Reid, Keeper, National Archives, Gregory Walls, PhD Candidate, Trinity College Dublin, and Caitlin White, Research Fellow, Trinity College Dublin  

Historic Houses, Global Connections: Collections in Transition at Mount Stewart and Clandeboye

This session explores the trajectories of collections at Clandeboye and Mount Stewart, two prominent historic estates in Northern Ireland. Both estates are deeply embedded in local and global histories, serving as significant sites of diplomatic, material, and intercultural exchange. 

A key challenge faced by historic properties is the perception that, as sites linked to imperialism and exploitation, they lack relevance to contemporary conversations on diversity and inclusive collaboration. Mount Stewart, a National Trust property, showcases the rich history of the Londonderry family, whose influence extended across Irish politics, European diplomacy, and global trade. Clandeboye, in turn, holds extensive Asian and North American collections, reflecting the global political and diplomatic connections of the Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood family.

The “Historic Houses, Global Crossroads” project aims to reposition these estates, focusing on the connections between people, environments, and material culture. For these collections, in transition, critical considerations arise around provenance research, acquisition, deaccessioning, and public engagement. 

The session will address key topics, including ethical stewardship and policy development by examining how historic houses can navigate their legacies while fostering inclusivity and relevance in contemporary museum practice. Exploring the flow of objects between local estates and global contexts, from Arctic expeditions to the East India Company, it will also take into consideration strategies for engaging local and global communities in shaping the future of these collections. Finally, the session will discuss how physical and virtual technologies, such as digitisation and 3D scanning, can connect audiences with historic house collections.

Briony Widdis, Research Fellow, Queen’s University Belfast

Julieanne McMahon, Cultural Heritage Curator, National Trust 

Emma Reisz, Lecturer, Queen’s University Belfast

Snuffed out - The story of an object in transition - implications and strategies

Technology has increased accessibility and the ease with which museum Collection departments can undertake object research. New information channels are now available to research and identify objects from museum collections quickly. Tools such as GoogleLens (image recognition software), and online catalogues, to name a few, can easily complement desk-based research by Collections departments.  The result is that the stories attached to museum objects change very quickly, an object which was once described in a certain way or with a particular function can begin to tell an entirely different story. This requires new strategies and processes to be created and implemented by the museum, new ways of displaying and interpreting, and the necessity to reflect on possible ethical implications. The Hunt Museum will explore this evolving nature of museum collection management by journeying through the story of one object. It will show how new research aided by these technologies has changed its original narrative, description and use, and ultimately highlight the need to engage and interpret this object in new ways. This presentation will discuss the critical decisions that were required to be taken by the Collection Department and by the museum, which resulted in new ways of managing this ‘object in transition’.  

Sian McInerney, Collections and Research Manager, The Hunt Museum  

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(per running order)

MSPI: Transforming Collections

This session will reflect on the evolution of MSPI museums, highlighting the transformations observed in how collections are used and presented: 

Dr Patricia O’Hare will discuss the role of Muckross as a pilot participant in the programme. She will illustrate how accreditation has enhanced collections care across the historic house, open air museum, and library. Specific examples of these improvements, will be shared, noting how accreditation has boosted confidence within the organisation and led to improved visitor engagement, education, and outreach. Patricia will also share insights from her experience as an MSPI Assessor, reflecting on the programme’s wider effect on other museums.

Helen O’Carroll will explore the impact of MSPI on exhibition displays and loans. She will compare two major exhibitions at Kerry County Museum to demonstrate the difference accreditation has made. The 2002 Tom Crean exhibition involved a significant loan of materials from the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich before the Kerry County Museum was part of the MSPI. In contrast, the 2016 Casement in Kerry exhibition, developed after the museum achieved Full Accreditation, and involved loans from the Imperial War Museum and the Metropolitan Police Crime Museum at Scotland Yard.

Cara Trant will describe the development of new ethical standards for an archive of social documentary film and video at Kerry Writers’ Museum. She will situate this innovation within wider collection management strategies, demanded by debates that have transformed what were once considered old bones into ancestral remains.

(Chair) Lisa Shortall, Head of Research, Learning and Cultural Heritage at the Heritage Council.

Patricia O’Hare, Research and Education Officer, Muckross House

Helen O’Carroll, Curator, Kerry County Museum

Cara Trant, Executive Director, Kerry Writers' Museum

Decanting a National Collection

In February 2025, the Crawford Art Gallery will have completed the decant of its entire collection offsite in advance of the master redevelopment of the building, ‘Transforming Crawford Art Gallery’. To understand the diversity and complexity of the Crawford’s collection we need to understand it’s history.   

The collection dates back to 1819 when a number of faithful reproductions of renowned   sculptures from antiquity, created under the supervision of the neoclassical sculpture Antonio Canova were presented to the Cork Society of Arts. This gift prompted the creation of the Cork School of Art and over the next 200 years the institution transitioned to Cork Government School of Design, to Crawford School of Art, to Crawford Municipal Gallery and finally in 2006 to the National Cultural Institution, Crawford Art Gallery. The Decant Project cast the building and institutional history into a new light as they planned and worked through how to move and record the variety of objects held within its walls.  

This presentation will look at how the transition of the institution and shifting perspectives on collecting remit shaped the gallery’s holdings. Examining and considering each object as it leaves the building gave new insights into the historic management of the collection. The panellists will discuss preparations made in advance of the project, disparities discovered in the cataloguing, condition and locations of objects and future projects that may arise as a result of this new perspective. 

Jean O’Donovan, Registrar, Crawford Art Gallery 

Evelyn Leon Nunez, Documentation Assistant, Crawford Art Gallery

Legal and Ethical considerations of deaccession, restitution and repatriation of museum objects: an overview of national and international legal frameworks and guidelines.

This presentation will look at national and international legal and ethical frameworks that apply to museum objects in their “final” stages. By examining real-world examples such as the return of Benin Bronzes from the Musée du Quai Branly Museum, the National Museum of Finland and the Smithsonian; the Parthenon Marbles dispute; Northampton Borough Council’s deaccessioning of the Sekhema sculpture; Irish Giant Charles Byrne’s remains in the Hunterian Museum; the return of Inishbofin skulls from the collections of TCD, Cassirer V. Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection and more, the interoperation of legal and ethical frameworks will be examined.

Issues addressed will include title, provenance, gifts, loans, civil recovery, international cultural object protection laws, limitation periods, the UNESCO 1954 Convention, Historic and Archaeological Heritage and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023, UNESCO 1970 Convention, 1995 UNIDROIT Convention, ICOM guidelines on deaccessioning, National Monuments Acts, National Cultural Institutions Act, UNDRIP 2007, Nazi-era spoliation, Washington Principles, Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act 2016 and Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.

Martin Bradley, Barrister and Archivist

The Death of a Museum

When a museum closes its doors—whether due to financial constraints, declining visitor numbers, or operational challenges—it raises profound questions about the future of its collections. This panel discussion seeks to explore the complexities surrounding the fate of the collection when the institutions charged with their care can no longer sustain themselves and examine the ethical, practical, and cultural considerations involved in such transitions.

The panellists will discuss how these challenges are navigated, addressing issues such as the redistribution of collections to other institutions, the legal and ethical frameworks guiding deaccessioning, and the role of government, agencies, and community stakeholders in safeguarding heritage. 

By reflecting on these critical questions, the session aims to contribute to a broader conversation about sustainability in the cultural heritage sector, encouraging museums to plan for resilience and adapt to changing circumstances. This discussion is particularly relevant in today’s landscape, where many institutions face increasing pressures and uncertainties.

Panel discussion led by Lar Joye, Port Heritage Director, Dublin Port with Gillian O’Brien and Stephen Ferguson.

Ethical and Sustainable Disposals

Deaccessioning and disposals within museum collections can be a challenging element of collections management. This presentation will examine some of the disposal projects the Ulster Transport Museum has recently embarked upon, creating and developing new partnerships with local institutions whilst utilising new technologies and expertise ensuring disposals are carried out within an ethical framework. 

One such example is the transfer of a number of generic and duplicate cars that were approved for disposal as part of a collections review process in 2018. Through this disposal, the Museum initiated a partnership with Hydebank Wood College and Women’s Prison. This facility houses male offenders from the ages of 18 to 24 as well as the Northern Ireland Women’s Prison. There are several training courses available to detainees including that of Basic Car Maintenance. Through collaboration with the tutors on this particular course we have been able to provide the students with a variety of vehicles and they have undertaken a number of projects including returning one to running order. This is only one example of how our recent disposals have enhanced the long-term capacity for storage and care of the Transport collections and provided a positive and sustainable outcome from the process.

Clare Ablett, Curator of Transport and Industry, National Museums NI: Ulster Transport Museum  

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