Written answers
Tuesday, 28 February 2023
Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
Museum Projects
Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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251. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if it is true that a complete shutdown is being proposed for the National Museum of Ireland – Natural History in order to carry out building conservation works; if so, if she will detail the timelines involved; the contingencies being made to possibly keep parts of the museum open while works are ongoing; if a plan is being developed for the movement of artifacts to a new temporary location if the closure is to extend into a period of years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9537/23]
Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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252. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will confirm which portion of the Natural History Museum is closing for renovations; the length of time it will be closed for; if the exhibits will be moved to another building for public viewing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9559/23]
Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 251 and 252 together.
I recently gave my approval for the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) to proceed to the design phase for the redevelopment of the Natural History Museum. This important capital investment will restore the building fabric of this cherished historic building, address long-standing accessibility issues and enhance visitor experience, better supporting the museum to communicate the richness of biodiversity. In partnership with the OPW, the project will deliver new internal staircases, create fit for purpose exhibition spaces and enhance compliance with fire, health and safety regulations as well as modern sustainability and environmental control standards.
It is vital that the museum’s irreplaceable collections be preserved for the enjoyment of future generations. In addition to the recent well-publicised decant of parts of the collection to facilitate preparatory works for the restoration of the roof, the NMI has carefully planned a full decant of the remaining collections into storage, which we envisage will commence in late 2023 to protect these precious artefacts during construction work. In the interim, and in recognition of the Natural History Museum’s important educational work with families and children, the NMI will keep open the ground floor galleries of the museum for as long as it remains safe to do so. Since the ground floor reopened in August 2022, nearly 200,000 members of the public have been able to access these galleries.
Ultimately the redevelopment work will necessitate a temporary closure of the building. The project programme is subject to a number of gateway decisions and milestones including planning application, tender etc. As such, it is not appropriate at this stage to provide a definitive date for closure, however, any closure will be signalled well in advance to the public. To ensure this important collection remains accessible to the public, I am pleased to note that the NMI is currently developing plans to present the natural history collections at Collins Barracks during the period of closure. This satellite “Dead Zoo” will ensure the continuity of programming and engagement with these unique artefacts for families, school children and other priority audiences.
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