Irish Museums Association Reception
Galway City Museum, 3 March 2017
Museum delegates from all over Ireland and abroad gathered at Galway City Museum on Friday for the welcome reception of this year’s Irish Museums Association Conference. The theme of the conference this year was Cultural Tourism and the Contemporary Museum and the venue for all lectures and debates was the Town Hall Theatre, Galway.
Speaking at the reception on Friday, IMA Chair and Curator of the Pearse Museum, Dublin Brian Crowley described Galway City Museum as “one of the most inspiring museums in the country” while Deputy Mayor Mike Cuppard credited the Revolution in Galway 1913-1923 exhibition as one of the finest displays he has seen of the Revolutionary period that stands on a par with any of the major national institutions in Dublin.
A large proportion of visitors to Ireland participate in cultural activities such as visiting museums and this is no less evident in Galway City Museum which received over 213,000 visitors through its doors last year. Delegates engaged in inspiring debates and discussions over topics such as the importance of our collection-based institutions in attracting both national and international tourists, securing public funding in an increasingly challenging financial climate and understanding tourist behavior.
The conference continued in the Town Hall theatre on Saturday exploring the museum sector’s role in the development of cultural heritage tourism. The day concluded with Museum Director Eithne Verling’s talk which detailed through Galway City Museum’s SeaScience exhibition how new partnerships lead to new directions – SeaScience lead to closer ties with the Marine Institute in Galway and as a result of this collaboration a major new exhibition entitled Sea Science – the Wild Atlantic is due to open in May 2017. This is a must-see for visitors of all ages but designed primarily for children and young people. The exhibition presents fascinating facts about marine life through interactive learning that is fun.
Galway City Museum at the Spanish Parade is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm and admission is free!
