An exciting new vision for the for the future of our country’s story and how we can experience it has been launched by the Local Authority Museums Network (LAMN). The new 2022-2026 strategy sees the LAMN embracing the communities that they serve, ensuring the stories they tell reflect the community as a whole and are accessible by all.

A Better Experience for Those Who Are Visually Impaired

The strategy includes working with the NCBI to use new cutting-edge technology to provide a more engaging local authority museums experience for the quarter of a million people in Ireland that are blind or visually impaired.

National Roll-out of LGBTQI+ Exhibition Rainbow Revolutions

The network also announced, as part of their ongoing partnership with the National Museum of Ireland, plans to bring the Rainbow Revolutions exhibition throughout the country. This important exhibit, which was launched by the National Museum of Ireland just before the Covid pandemic, uses objects, stories and poignant oral histories to paint a picture the experiences of the LGBTQI+ community in Ireland.

Exhibitions and Events Focused on Climate Change

Climate change is a challenge that we all have to face and the Local Authority Museums Network recognizes its role in this new strategy by working in partnership with community groups and government organisations to act as a conduit in ensuring that the information we need to know is both accessible and engaging. This will be achieved through a range of exhibitions and events in the museums across the network.

The new strategy was officially launched by Minister for Heritage Malcolm Noonan TD in front of the of the historic Customs House.

Speaking at the launch the Chair of the LAMN, Marie McMahon said:

“Local museums and the collections they hold are at the heart of the communities we serve. We are a dedicated group of professionals who want to tell the story of our regions through the many different identities, abilities, experiences and passions of the people who have come before us. That myriad of people, places and events can be explored through our museums and they are for everyone.”

Minister Malcolm Noonan, Minister of State with responsibility for Heritage and Electoral Reform, added:

“The Local Authority Museums Network’s intention is to work with their communities to help educate and engage on the management and mitigation of climate change in Ireland. Our regional museums network spans the country and is an important local resource in helping the people they serve, to meet the challenges of climate change.”

Chris White, CEO of NCBI, welcomed the new plan and partnership with the LAMN, saying:

“For too long, many of Ireland’s cultural and historical venues, artefacts, exhibits and performances have been inaccessible to people who are blind or vision impaired. It is important their needs are considered and practical solutions such as accessible websites, availability of Braille and audio information, improved signage and lighting are all adopted. We are delighted the Local Authority Museums’ Network is prioritising greater accessibility of venues and exhibits in their new Strategic Management Plan ensuring that everyone can enjoy Ireland’s heritage.”

LAMN Strategic Plan 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monaghan Horrible Histories at Monaghan County Museum Saturday 31st October at 6pm

 

Monaghan County Museum Online Event Guide

Monaghan County Museum will reopen to the public on Monday 27^th July 2020

Please note the new opening hours below

Monaghan County Museum Temporary Opening Hours

Monday – Friday 12pm – 4pm

Closed on Saturday and Sunday

All Museum events are currently postponed during the Covid 19 Pandemic – We will keep you updated – Please follow us on Facebook for all updates

The Local Authority Museums Network Celebrates International Museum Day 2020

May 18th 2020

Monaghan County Museum Curator, Liam Bradley, is the current Chairperson of the Local Authority Museums Network (LAMN), which is the representative body for local authority museums throughout the country. Monaghan County Museum, working with its partner museums throughout the country, is very happy to be involved with this year’s celebrations for International Museum Day. This event, which is celebrated around the world, resonates even more so this year as people from all communities, cultures and backgrounds grapple with the Covid 19 Pandemic.

Local authorities throughout Ireland play a vital and proactive role in promoting and preserving culture and heritage, ensuring the best possible quality of life for their communities. Through their museum services they strengthen local communities by underpinning a sense of identity and pride of place. Now more than ever they are working hard to help people through this difficult and challenging time. The theme of this year’s International Museum Day is ‘Museums for Equality: Diversity and Inclusion’. Following the worldwide lockdowns however, International Museum Day is going digital inviting museums from all over the world to host online activities.

Working with our Communities during Covid 19

The LAMN, working with its partners including the National Museum of Ireland, the Irish Museums Association (IMA) as well as the International Council of Museums in Ireland (ICOM) have answered the call to provide a vibrant range of online activities for the people they serve.
The current COVID-19 pandemic is an extraordinary world health crisis and will be a defining event for our generation. We are making and living history right now. Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan, Tipperary and Limerick Museums are all working with their communities to record their experiences of Covid 19.

Cork Public Museum has produced a new website featuring numerous activities that will help people interact with their history and culture. Galway City Museum has launched a range of new digital services all aimed at getting the community involved with their heritage. Staff from Carlow and Kerry Museum have been working on their community call lines helping the vulnerable in their areas. Louth, Waterford and Clare Museums are also reaching out to people in their regions through local media and imaginative online activities.

The LAMN is continually pioneering new and imaginative programmes for engaging with communities of all ages and all backgrounds. This, now more than ever, is how the LAMN in marking International Museums Day is enabling our communities to continue to feel connected while we keep our distance from one another.

About the Local Authority Museums Network

The LAMN comprises Carlow County Museum; Cavan County Museum; Clare Museum, Cork Public Museum, County Museum, Dundalk; Donegal County Museum; Galway City Museum; Kerry County Museum; Limerick Museum; Monaghan County Museum; Tipperary County Museum and Waterford Museum of Treasures.

The members of the LAMN strive to achieve best standards across all areas of museum work. The Museum Standards Programme of Ireland operates under the auspices of the Heritage Council and sets out to raise standards of care across Irish museums and galleries. The programme aims to benchmark and promote professional standards in collections care and to recognise the achievement of those standards within the Irish museum sector. The Programme is fully supported by the LAMN and its members have variously achieved Maintenance of Accreditation, Full Accreditation and Interim Accreditation.

The LAMN plays a vital role in preserving archaeological heritage. The members of the LAMN are designated museums under Section 68 (2) of the National Cultural Institutions Act, 1997. Under this legislation each Museum is legally entitled to retain archaeological objects on behalf of the State. The National Museum of Ireland will only lend objects for display to designated museums.

 

Monaghan County Museum wants to collect your stories about the Covid 19 Pandemic-

They can be –

• Photographs or drawings – Any sort of pictures or drawing that shows life as it is now during the pandemic
• Stories relating to the pandemic in Monaghan – These could be your stories or perhaps those of a family member or friend that you have spoken with
• Video, audio or sound files – These could be interviews with family members – perhaps older members of your family who have memories of times like this in past

All material submitted will be added to the museum collection and form part of an exhibition in the near future

 

Some things to get you thinking……

 

Your daily life                    How has your experience of the Covid 19 pandemic changed your day to day to life?

 

Work                                     Do you or a member of your family work in a front line service right now? Can you record that experience in any way?

 

Shopping                             What it’s like for you or your family members when you or they go shopping for essentials?

 

Religion                               If you do, how has the Covid 19 Pandemic changed the way you worship?

 

Communication               How do you keep in contact with your family, friends, work colleagues?

 

Spare Time                         What are you doing to keep your body and mind active? What are you and your family doing to entertain yourselves?

 

Community                        Are you doing something in your community to help or perhaps you know of others who are helping? Is someone helping you?