The National Museum of Ireland
“The National Museum of Ireland would like to clarify that reports in today’s media that the Museum’s four sites face imminent closure or that entry charges are to be introduced are incorrect. No decision on the closure of sites or on the introduction of charges has been taken by the Board and no recommendations have been made to the Minister of Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht in this regard. The Museum’s four sites are and will remain open to visitors and entry to all Museum sites is free. The Board remains committed to the principle of free entry. So far this year, the Museum has welcomed over 1 million visitors.”
Further to reports on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that four of Ireland’s major museums may close on January 1, unless they receive more financial support from the State, the National Museum of Ireland has released a statement
National museum board discussed closing sites (RTE)
Press release issued on behalf of the National Museum of Ireland
I am sick of the arts being denigrated, there is no society without culture. Did we fight our way through a recession only to find we have happily and willingly lost our souls? What the feck were we fighting for then? Well done Fine Gael, you’ll have us all well out of our high falutin’ ways and have us out milking’ the cows at five in the morning.
Jays
I’d say tis a while since any of the Bruton boys milked a cow
They’ve been milking us instead Frilly !
Riding us
More like
With me drawers still on
Don’t forget Labour. Labour have always denigrated the Arts.
…Michael Squee was a good Arts Minister and the person who did most was Charlie Haughey.
Indeed
20 and 30 yrs ago
Respectively
Squee was good. But Squee’s not really Labour, he’s a social-democrat. He’s nowhere near as right wing as Burton, Howlin, etc.
I don’t think of Michael D as Labour, he’s the genuine article.
“Labour doesn’t care about art.”
“Michael D was a Labour member for 43 years.”
“Oh, I don’t think of him as Labour.”
It’s a good way to avoid nuance.
TBF their friendly poet Moynes is pretty poo
Can they be blamed?
Poo Hoo
Who
Ho
Ho Ho Ho
don’t blame politicians, by and large people in this country have no interest in art.
Thank god for that. The museums sites are one of the best things we have to offer in dublin.
Agreed but the problem is that they still don’t have enough money to keep them all open for free so something will have to change at some time, either they charge or, by far the better option, the state actually give them the money they need. It would be a very sad day if they either had to charge or had to close any of the museums.
Or will they become The Aviva, O2, Bord Gais Energy museums respectively. Pity the day….
Good god, hopefully not!! Read somewhere today that the board had considered sponsorship of certain exhibits by Guinness etc.
…yeah, the tourists would LOVE that. That’d do our image a whole load of good
And here we come to the Aviva Life Assurance Bog Bodies which have been dated to between around 400 BC and 200 BC and they were in a remarkably good state of preservation when found. Beside this we have the recently found Guinness Viking Warrior with full armour and weaponry which was found behind what is now Georges St, etc.
But but DOUBLE TAXATION!
You have to wonder why this rumour was put into circulation to begin with.
It’s the government leaking ‘rumours’ to gauge public reaction, just like they do pre-budget. If they think they’ll get away with it, or if there isn’t enough public outrage, they’ll charge. But you may bet that the money collected won’t be going back into the arts.
Agreed.
-But I’m a terrible cynic. It’s nice to think I’m not alone. Allow me up the ante…
I’ve just seen an appeal on the Late Late Show for funding for Childline. I was literally a bunch of RTE puppets and a child-choir…reminding us that Childline needs more funding.
-Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand that Childline needs and deserves any help and promotion it gets, children will never pass up the chance to be on the oul’ telly, those puppets, (Bosco, Zig ‘n’ Zag, Dustin, Pajo and a couple I can’t name in case you didn’t see it), they work for RTÉ, and RTÉ work for…
Are you still with me?
Isn’t it all just a ploy to pull at our heartstrings, to remind us that the things we cherish will be first to suffer if we dare to be heard on the 10th?
Or am I thinking too much into it?
That Late Late Show appearance was shambolic and under-rehearsed…cobbled together quickly, and it showed.
Wow!
I know I’ve been bashing RTÉ today, but I’m not finished yet…
The 10 minute edition of their ‘News’ aften 11pm, which is half-‘news’/half weather-forecast’, they were still able to afford enough time for Enda to proclaim his dedication to eradicating ‘the homeless problem’ before Christmas…not just in Dublin, but everywhere in Ireland…
…followed with the caveat that anyone left on the streets after that date are there of their own volition.
So stop looking at him…It’s not his fault and it never will be, okay?
He’s doing his best.
His S(p)in-Dept. just aren’t very good when they’re in a panic
Ah lads. Pic: Wikipedia ain’t how you attribute.
The photo has the correct attribution information if you follow the link on Wikipedia, as well as the license terms. The guy made his photo available for free, and the only thing he asked for was to be attributed correctly when the work was used.
Ye updated it! Good on ye :)
It would help if the museum staff weren’t a paid additional allowances for looking at security footage, answering the telephone, or locking up in the evening.
There salaries are crap. Without the add on pay they’d be even poorer. We need to raise taxes on the rich.
Or paid at all. Sure we have all those criminals in Mountjoy just sitting around. They should be made work as security in the National Gallery.
I wonder if free entry to galleries and museums aswell as subsidised ballet,theatre ,orchestras is just an example of the ragged trousered philanthropist ?
The what now?
The ragged trousered philanthropists are the taxpayers.