Dáil debates

Wednesday, 10 April 2019

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions

Museum Projects

11:05 am

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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5. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans to secure a permanent home for a museum (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16769/19]

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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What are the plans of the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to secure a permanent home for the Women's Museum of Ireland, a museum that hopes to educate the public about the contributions made by women to the cultural, political and social history of Ireland and will she make a statement on the matter? However, Members will see that the printed paper in front of them contains no reference to a women's museum. The question, as printed, is: "To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans to secure a permanent home for a museum (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter". In all of my experience as a Deputy, I have never experienced such censorship in tabling a question.

Photo of Eugene MurphyEugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy has had 30 seconds in which to put her question. She will have two further opportunities to come back to the Minister.

Photo of Josepha MadiganJosepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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In my copy it refers to “details supplied” and is elaborated on as referring to the Women’s Museum of Ireland. Therefore, I not sure to what the Deputy is referring. It was quite clear to me that she was talking about a women’s museum.

As the Deputy will be aware, the decade of centenaries has provided us all with an opportunity to examine in more detail the historical role of women in Ireland. My Department produced a pop-up museum to mark 100 years of women in politics and public life on the centenary of the 1918 general election when women were able to vote and stand as candidates in parliamentary elections for the first time. To date, this exhibition has enjoyed a successful run in both the Coach House at Dublin Castle and in Istabraq Hall in Limerick and has now opened in its latest location at Donegal County Museum in Letterkenny. The exhibition looks at the key women who have contributed in the past 100 years to shaping the State and also looks at social and political issues which affected women by providing a timeline of the century - the feminisation of Irish history. Sinéad McCoole did a fantastic job in curating the exhibition.

We are all conscious that the representation of women in history has only recently received the level of attention that is justified. It is important that young people have a full understanding of the history of our society as it is only then they will be able to learn from that history. In my view, the institution best placed to tell the story of our society is the National Museum of Ireland. The museum is planning to develop and deliver a new permanent exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts and History, which will explore the last 120 years of Irish history. The exhibition will outline the sociopolitical and cultural changes in our country during this time. I see it as an ideal opportunity to explore the role of women and the contribution they have made to the development of our society.

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I ask for help from the Acting Chairman on this point. In all of my time in the Dáil I have never had a question censored in such a way as to fundamentally alter its meaning. This is a question about a programme which has been in existence as a virtual museum for a number of years. I asked if the Minister had plans to find a permanent home for the Women's Museum of Ireland. She has told us about pop-ups. Pop-ups are great and I attended the functions to which the Minister referred. I commend her on the pop-ups, but a pop-up is not a permanent exhibition, of the kind to which we are accustomed in celebrating the activities of men in the history, culture and arts of the country. I would like the Minister to explain why my question was censored and edited in the way it was. If there was a problem with it, the normal courtesy in this House is to contact the Member to tell him or her that there is a problem and suggest rephrasing may be necessary. I am used to that happening and also have questions transferred to other Ministers. This is important as it silences the issue related to the Women's Museum of Ireland. That is the question to which I am, respectfully, asking the Minister to respond.

Photo of Eugene MurphyEugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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I understand the Deputy's frustration, but if she has an issue, she should get back to the Ceann Comhairle's office about it. I have to keep to the time limits.

Photo of Josepha MadiganJosepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I have often seen questions with the words "details supplied" shown in brackets, whether it refers to a theatre or a museum, etc. I do not think it is specific to this question, but I am not the Ceann Comhairle and, as the Acting Chairman said, the Deputy should check with him. This certainly did not come from my Department because the particular museum referred to by the Deputy was outlined to me.

The National Museum of Ireland is best placed to examine the role of women in the history of Ireland. As a woman, I have a particular interest in the subject. There is the Women's Museum of Ireland, but it does not have a permanent home. The organisation seems to be particularly interested in the place of women in history and I have suggested there be formal engagement between the Women's Museum of Ireland and the National Museum of Ireland, although to date I understand there has not been any such engagement. The National Museum of Ireland plans to reach out to the Women's Museum of Ireland during the development of the History of Ireland gallery, which might go some way towards helping with what the Deputy suggests. What she has said has merit and is worth exploring.

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Many countries have a number of museums devoted to women and various elements of their lives. The National Museum of Ireland has been hopeless on the subject of women. It has a small exhibition in Collins Barracks on Eileen Gray from Wexford who was probably the most famous designer in the early 20th century. In the south of France she built one of the most outstanding houses of early 20th century design. She is world famous. There is a full museum dedicated to her, although small and specialist. I am asking the Minister with responsibility for culture to think outside the box. For the 1916 Rising commemoration, the National Gallery of Ireland put on a very small exhibition in a room on the third or fourth floor dedicated to Constance Markievicz.

I am talking about full recognition of the role of women and their contribution to Irish and international history. The Minister should seize the opportunity to promote what women have done in Irish history.

11:15 am

Photo of Josepha MadiganJosepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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As I outlined, there are exhibitions running, including Sinéad McCoole's archival collection which I am sure the Deputy has seen and which is currently being exhibited in County Donegal. The best people to work on this issue are in the National Museum of Ireland and the Women's Museum of Ireland. I understand a former employee of the National Museum of Ireland and a member of its education team, Ms Holly Furlong, is on the board of the Women's Museum of Ireland. There is the opportunity to explore the possibility of organising a permanent exhibition. If there is to be a permanent place for women's effects, it is important that it be rolled out across the country. It should be brought around the country in order that students and others would be able to see 120 years of Irish history. This is something that is being considered by the museum. There should be a way to incorporate women's place in it in order that we are not airbrushed out of history. It is of importance to me that it be considered. Therefore, I take the Deputy's comments very seriously and thank her for raising the matter.