The Donegal County Museum and Glenveagh Castle have been recognised by the Heritage Council.
13 museums across the country were celebrated at a ceremony in Kilkenny Castle yesterday having achieved official accreditation under the Heritage Council’s Museum Standards Programme for Ireland.
Established to promote professional standards in museums, selection under the MSPI is a major accolade with accredited museums considered to have attained excellence across a range of areas.
Factors taken into account during the assessment process include how museums care for their collections and visitors, as well as governance and management standards, and their education and exhibition programmes. Since its inception in 2006, the Irish museum sector has continued to embrace the programme with participation growing from 12 museum sites to 73 in 2023.
Assessors noted that the Donegal County Museum’s remarkable contribution to the heritage and cultural offering of the county, putting on a range of important projects and initiatives of county-wide relevance and interest.
The museum has also enjoyed some practical and technical improvements, such as enhanced lighting and security arrangements, and benefits from an excellent off-site storage facility and a newly developed on-site, multi-function room which enhances the community benefit of the site and the future use of the building.
Meanwhile, Glenveagh Castle, run by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, was awarded ‘Interim Accreditation’.
The assessors acknowledged the importance of the establishment of a separate board to help manage the museum component of the castle, describing this as a significant achievement by all involved. Just as the park provides a setting for the castle, the assessors noted that the museum itself through displays and future exhibitions, can enhance the interpretation of the park, its hunting traditions and its past, and the wider area of landscape and nature management.
