Mr. Liam Bradley:

I thank the Chairman and the committee for the opportunity to speak here today. I am the curator of Monaghan County Museum and the chair of the Local Authority Museums Network. Ms Judith McCarthy, curator of Donegal County Museum and deputy chair of the network is with me today.

The Local Authority Museums Network, LAMN, represents the 12 local authority museums across the State which all play a vital role in the social, cultural and economic life of Ireland’s regions. The LAMN’s membership currently comprises of Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Louth, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Limerick, Monaghan, Tipperary and Waterford. We are a national professional network of collections based designated cultural institutions that advocate for and promote the diverse archaeological and historical richness of our museums for the enjoyment and engagement of the communities we serve.

Members of the LAMN strive to be at the heart of those communities. During the recent Ireland 2016 commemorative programme, the LAMN worked with its partners in local government including heritage, libraries, arts and archives, to successfully facilitate a national discussion through a diverse programme of exhibitions and events about not only what the Rising was and when it happened but most importantly, why it happened and who were the people from their own localities who were involved. In tandem with this, we also explored the story of World War One and the thousands of Irish men who fought and died in the British army as well as the many Irish women who served in the nursing corps. This work will continue throughout the remainder of the decade of commemorations and into the future.

The LAMN recently hosted a major conference, held in Louth County Museum, Dundalk, entitled "Do Borders Matter? The Role of Museums and Heritage in Crossing the Line". This event, which was jointly supported by the Heritage Council and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade investigated the challenges that Brexit will present to the entire cultural sector. We are continually working with our partners in Northern Ireland to plan and prepare for the challenges and opportunities that a UK outside of Europe will bring. It is the strength of our respective collections that help us as local authority organisations to cross borders, both figurative and literal, and bring together communities through a common interest, their shared history and heritage.

Collectively the local authority museums serve a population of more than 2 million people, attracting more than half a million direct visitors each year with a far reaching impact in schools, communities and voluntary organisations across the country. We also play a significant role as engines of local and regional tourism, working with Fáilte Ireland to support the cultural identity and image of Ireland to overseas visitors. Through this work, the local authority museums have helped to instil a sense of local pride of place. We have been in discussions with the Department of Education and Skills as we prepare for the requirements of the new junior certificate history cycle as well as advocating for the reinstatement of history as a core subject on the curriculum.

The LAMN plays a vital role in preserving the archaeological heritage of the country as well. The members of the LAMN are designated museums under section 19 of the National Monuments Act, 1930, and section 68(2) of the National Cultural Institutions Act, 1997. Under this legislation, each museum is legally entitled to retain archaeological objects on behalf of the State, which are deemed to be of predominantly local rather than national interest. We also liaise on an ongoing basis with the National Monuments Service to ensure the ongoing preservation of archaeological sites and monuments in our regions.

The members of the LAMN strive to achieve best standards across all areas of museum work. The museum standards programme for Ireland, MSPI, operates under the auspices of the Heritage Council and sets out to raise standards of care across Irish museums and galleries. The programme aims to benchmark and promote professional standards in collections care and to recognise the achievement of those standards within the Irish museum sector. The LAMN cares for diverse collections of thousands of artefacts and all of our members are involved in the MSPI.

Creative Ireland has become one of the key drivers of creativity in Ireland and through our various local authorities we are actively involved in the committees which are managing this national initiative at the local level.

As we look to the future, we advocate for a review in current national funding for regional museums. Rather than small directed amounts for once off projects, a larger fund which encouraged partnership with other organisations both regional and national and the further use of new technologies would benefit a much greater sector of society. Along with the National Museum of Ireland, we are also investigating the possibility of making representation to the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to review the current fund available under the mobility of collections scheme, which provides aid for regional museums wishing to take objects on loan from one of the major national cultural institutions.

We are 12 local authority museums in the State, the first opening in 1974 and the latest in 2012. We hope in years to come to see that number grow. We will be investigating how we can progress this and a number of other objectives through 2019 as we consult with a wide range of organisations including the Heritage Council, the Irish Museums Association and the National Museum of Ireland to develop our new strategic plan.

Local authority museums also support the many smaller community run and privately owned museums in their areas. This greater network of museums, working together, helps to preserve the history and heritage which exists between the lines in history books, those unknown people, places and events, which have shaped the history, heritage and culture of our villages, towns and cities.

The key strength of regional museums is that we are a safe space where people from different economic, social, cultural and religious backgrounds can come together in their own communities and using our collections as a catalyst, investigate their own history and heritage and that of their neighbours. By doing this, we are not only looking at yesterday but today and tomorrow as well, when we help new communities to integrate into Irish society and aid them to interweave their stories and beliefs into the cultural tapestry of the country.