News

Local Authority Museums Network launches new Strategic Plan

5 Apr 2022

The Local Authority Museums Network (LAMN) have published their 2022-2026 strategic plan, Reimagining the Past for the Future, today 05 April 2022.

The new Strategic Plan 2022 - 2026 focuses on three main strategic aims, outlining actions under each:

  1. Build our Relationships, Develop our Communities: Promote the LAMN Strategy within each relevant Local Authority; Work with the Heritage Council to deliver on cultural heritage initiatives; Develop a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Museum of Ireland; and Support and promote Irish Museums Association (IMA)'s advocacy initiatives;
  2. Celebrate the Stories of Ireland through Our Collections: Organise collaborative events with the relevant Local Authority services including Archives, Heritage and Arts; Develop a National Local History Initiative; Work with ICOM Ireland to maximise the impact of International Museums Day and hold joint event(s) focused on regional museums across the globe:
  3. Promote our Place in Society: Develop a website for the LAMN; Examine ‘Playful Museums’ initiative in collaboration with the Northern Ireland Museums Council and collaborate with these and the National Museum of Ireland on a Great Famine Project; and Collaborate with the Junior Cycle for Teachers team to support the delivery of the curriculum.

In addition, the new strategic plan not only highlights achievements made, such as all members of the network having now achieved interim or full standards accreditation, but also plans to improve access and inclusion within their offerings by:

  • Working with the National Council for the Blind Ireland (NCBI) to use new cutting-edge technology to provide a more engaging local authority museums experience;
  • Touring of the National Museum of Ireland's Rainbow Revolutions exhibition throughout the country; and
  • Programming of exhibitions and Events Focused on Climate Change across the network.


In launching Reimagining the Past for the Future, Malcolm Noonan TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Heritage and Electoral Reform, added:

“The Local Authority Museums Network’s intention is to work with their communities to help educate and engage on the management and mitigation of climate change in Ireland. Our regional museums network spans the country and is an important local resource in helping the people they serve, to meet the challenges of climate change.”


The commitment to making LAMN sites and programming more accessible to the over quarter of a million people in Ireland who are blind or vision impaired was also particularly welcomed by Chris White, CEO of NCBI:

“For too long, many of Ireland’s cultural and historical venues, artefacts, exhibits and performances have been inaccessible to people who are blind or vision impaired. It is important their needs are considered and practical solutions such as accessible websites, availability of Braille and audio information, improved signage and lighting are all adopted. We are delighted the Local Authority Museums’ Network is prioritising greater accessibility of venues and exhibits in their new Strategic Management Plan ensuring that everyone can enjoy Ireland’s heritage.”


LAMN consists of 12 museums: Carlow County Museum, Cavan County Museum, Clare Museum, Cork Public Museum, County Museum, Dundalk, Donegal County Museum, Galway City Museum, Kerry County Museum, Limerick Museum, Monaghan County Museum, Tipperary Museum of Hidden History and Waterford Museum of Treasures.

These museums are supported by 170+ staff and volunteers, and collectively service a population of over 2 million people, with over 500,000 visitors per year.

Click here to download the LAMN Strategic Plan 2022-2026.