From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
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The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin T.D. has today announced her approval to proceed to the design phase of the Natural History Museum redevelopment project.
This is a flagship project in the Minister’s programme of investments under the National Development Plan, which will see many of our much-loved National Cultural Institutions restored, renewed and future-proofed for generations to come. The project will be funded by the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, and delivered by a partnership between the National Museum of Ireland and the Office of Public Works. A particular focus of the project at the Natural History Museum is to address long-standing issues with accessibility, to restore the building fabric, and to enhance the visitor experience to tell important stories of our biodiversity and to showcase the unique heritage building.
Commenting on the project, Minister Martin said:
“Today is an extremely important day for the Natural History Museum as it moves to the next phase of this important project under our National Development Plan. The Museum occupies a unique place in our cultural landscape and, for me, is growing in importance in terms of the stories the collection tells about our biodiversity. I welcome the work of the Museum in using the natural history collection for biodiversity research, including the establishing of a baseline for Ireland’s biodiversity and in increasing awareness of the biodiversity crisis and climate change.”
Commenting on the announcement, the Chair of the National Museum of Ireland, Catherine Heaney said:
“The Natural History Museum is a much loved and cherished part of our cultural heritage. This investment enables the NMI to take the refurbishment project to the next stage, which will allow for greater accessibility to the building and collection as well as a much improved visitor experience. One hundred and sixty five years since this museum first opened its doors, these collections continue to intrigue and excite visitors of all ages. This work will enable greater engagement with some of the most important global challenges including biodiversity loss and climate change.”
Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Patrick O’Donovan TD, added:
“The Office of Public Works is pleased to be in a position now to work towards a major upgrading of the Natural History Museum building so the collections can be shared with a wider audience and to modernise how the museum will function for visitors. Much has already been achieved with the complex decant of priceless artefacts, for example, the whales, and the installation of an internal crash deck. Our experts will work with colleagues in the National Museum to deliver a full conservation of the historic building, resulting in a more accessible, welcoming space for visitors to enjoy for generations to come.”
The project, which is being progressed by the OPW and the National Museum of Ireland, occupies a unique space on Merrion Square and as part of the historic campus incorporating the Houses of the Oireachtas, the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology, the National Gallery of Ireland and Government Buildings. The tender process to appoint a design team to deliver this next phase of the project will commence in 2023.
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Following the approval provided by the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, the Natural History Museum redevelopment project now moves to the design phase of the process. The Project, which is being delivered by a partnership between the OPW and the National Museum of Ireland, will launch a tender process to appoint a design team on the project.
The project will deliver the following:
This project will run in parallel with the OPW project to restore the roof of the building and which has been facilitated by the recent decant of some of the collections, including the iconic whale.
The Natural History Museum plays an important role in showcasing Ireland’s unique biodiversity, including signalling the challenges to that biodiversity arising from climate change. The Natural History Museum is the ‘original biobank’ as the main repository for Ireland’s fauna and geological specimens. Its collections span zoological, geological and thousands of fossilised plants. The collection also includes an extensive volume of paper records related to natural history which, coupled with the physical specimens, can inform us about what has been lost or gained over time in Ireland, providing an essential long-term view of our biodiversity through which we can better understand the current crisis.