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Pictured at the presentation of awards by the Heritage Council’s Museum Awards Standards Programme (MPSI) are Sarah O’Farrell, Jemma O’Connell and Helen O’Carroll from Kerry County Museum, with Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Heather Humphreys TD, and Chairman of the Heritage Council, Michael Parsons. The museum retained its Full Accreditation with the programme. The Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI), which started in 2006 with just 12 participants, now has 57 museums across the island of Ireland, participating in it. The programme recognises excellence in caring for collections, museum management, education, exhibition and visitor services.
KERRY County Museum has been recognised by the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland.
The museum, along with Muckross House, Muckross Traditional Farms and Muckross House Research Library, retained the Full Accreditation they had previously been awarded, while Seanchaí “Kerry Writers’ Museum” in Listowel was awarded Interim Accreditation.
The Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI), which started in 2006 with just 12 participants, now has 57 museums across the island of Ireland, participating in it. The programme recognises excellence in caring for collections, museum management, education, exhibition and visitor services.
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The Kerry County Museum Assessor commented; “Every time I visit the Kerry County Museum I am impressed by some new innovation or exhibition. The term ‘blockbuster’ is not inappropriate for some of the major temporary exhibitions which the museum has staged in recent years, and the current offer: “Casement in Kerry: A Revolutionary Journey” maintains that first class track record.
“Designed and produced by the museum staff, at relatively low cost, the exhibition is evidence of the museum’s ability to stage well-researched, topical exhibitions of international as well as local interest. It also illustrates well the efforts of the small but dedicated team in locating and borrowing rare and important items from individuals and major international institutions.”
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD, said; “I am delighted to present these awards in this tenth anniversary year for the Museum Standards Programme Initiative. Maintaining and cherishing our museums is of great importance to me and I was very pleased recently to be able to announce funding of almost €135,000 for twenty-three projects around the country under the Local and Regional Museums Funding Scheme 2017. At a local level there has been great work done to raise the standards of care across Irish museums, and I would like to congratulate and thank all those involved, especially those who are receiving awards here today.”
The Chairman of the Heritage Council, Mr. Michael Parsons, said, “What we see through this programme is that Ireland’s museums are exciting and vibrant places where the staff are working hard, often with very limited budgets and resources, to ensure that the collections in their care are protected and made available to the public. Not only is this important work from a cultural point of view, it also supports tourism in a locality and helps people feel proud of the place where they live”.
