Donegal museums receive national awards from the Heritage Council

Two of Donegal's best known tourist attractions, the County Museum in Letterkenny and Glenveagh Castle were celebrated at a ceremony in Kilkenny Castle this week, having achieved official accreditation under the Heritage Council’s Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI). They were two of just 13 such facilities around the country that achieved the accolade.

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.

Among the museums maintaining full accreditation was the Donegal County Museum in Letterkenny. The assessors noted the remarkable contribution the museum makes 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.

Patsy Lafferty, Director of Housing, Corporate and Cultural Serevices, Donegal Co. Co. receiving the award on behalf of Donegal Public Museum from Heritage Council Member Sheila Pratschke

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.

Commenting at the ceremony, Chief Executive of the Heritage Council Virginia Teehan said:

Sorcha O’Donnell, Curator at Glenveagh Castle, receiving their award for accreditation from Sheila Pratschke, Heritage Council Member

“As Ireland’s only accreditation programme for museums, MSPI has become an integral part of the sector. Seeing the variety of museums represented at the ceremony, along with the increase in participants year on year, further underline its importance. I am happy to say that the Heritage Council has committed in its new five-year strategy to making further improvements to the MSPI through increased funding, and through new training and professional development opportunities for the volunteers and the professionals who run our museums.”

Presenting the awards today, Council Member for the Heritage Council, Sheila Pratschke said:

“It was a real privilege for me to be in Kilkenny Castle, another MSPI-accredited site, and to be able to personally congratulate all of this year’s award winners. I know how hard these museums have worked for their accreditation and are richly deserving of this recognition.”