1.0 INTRODUCTION Kildare County Council in association - Kildare.ie

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AUDIT OF MUSEUMS AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS IN COUNTY KILDARE 2006 12.5 Fine art 6.25 Archives 12.5 Intangible history 12.5 Sport While the Audit has been collated with accuracy when the information is presented in percentage form, the reality can be slightly skewed. For instance, while science represents only 18.75% of areas covered by museums, there is one collection (in percentage terms 6.25% of the total number of museums in the county) devoted almost entirely to the subject and is therefore far more comprehensively represented, than for instance history, which appears to be represented in the collections of 43.7% of the organizations. There is also a balance required when a quantitative assessment of a collection is concerned. The size of a collection is only one aspect of the importance of a collection. Equally important is qualitative analysis, and perhaps more important is how the collection, whatever its size, is curated, interpreted and presented. Military history is very strongly represented by the Military Museum managed by the Defence Forces. The core collection donated by Sir Alfred Chester Beatty is of international importance. Unfortunately a completed questionnaire was not forthcoming from the Defense Forces and so limited information has been obtained. Local history is strongly represented, largely interpreted through graphic displays. Archaeological artifacts, mostly carved stonework appears to be late medieval, and forming either effigies or architectural fragments. As Kildare does not have a coastline the subject of Maritime heritage is one of the least significance subject areas covered by museums in the county. However there are strong links to maritime history with the explorations of Ernst Shackleton. The Athy Heritage Centre has dedicated part of the centre to Shackleton, his explorations and family history. It should also be noted that Kildare has a long history and association with in-land waterways. However, this aspect of the industrial and economic history of the county is largely ignored. 7.6 Significance and Relevance of Collections In the survey form the relevance of collections has been prescribed as being of International, National, Regional and Local. These areas of relevance do not suggest levels of importance. The challenge of identifying the relevance of a collection is important to an understanding of a collection and how it should be presented to the public. Difficulties arise when collections are interpreted in a subjective manner, without a clear understanding of the relevance of objects in collections. Eleven of the fifteen museums surveyed have stated that collections of international importance are held by the museum. Six of the museums have identified collections of national relevance. Only four have stated that the collection is of regional importance and only five have stated that the collection is of local importance. The reality is that three (four when the Military Museum collection is included) are actually of International relevance. Three are of National relevance. Thirteen of the museum collections can be said to be of regional and local relevance. 7.7 Size of Collections The size of collections in museums and heritage centres varies greatly. As already stated, many of the organizations participating in the survey hold small collections. Collections vary greatly in size. The largest, the Irish Peatlands Conservation Council which holds approximately 10,000 CHARLES DUGGAN ARHITECTURAL HERITAGE ADVISOR 34
AUDIT OF MUSEUMS AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS IN COUNTY KILDARE 2006 items. The National Science Museum, Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, holds a collection of approximately 1000 artifacts. The smallest collection is that of Kildare Heritage Centre, which holds 4 artifacts. It should be noted that the Golf Museum has yet to develop a collection. Most, however, have collections comprising up to 100 artifacts. As collections are modest in size most of the museums display all the artifacts within the collection. Eight of the museums display 70% or more of the collection. In many cases the museums have limited storage and therefore must display all the collection. This has additional issues with regard to the expansion of the collection and the flexibility of the museum or organization where temporary exhibitions are concerned. Nine of the participating museums either do not, as policy, or cannot, due to space restrictions and the inflexibility of the museum spaces, offer temporary exhibitions. Five of the museums surveyed do offer temporary exhibitions. 7.8 Display of Collections Six museums display artifacts contained with display cabinets. Some cabinets are designed specifically for the collection in question, such as at the Military Museum, the costume room at the Ballitore Quaker Museum, the Athy Heritage Centre and the National Science Museum at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth. Castletown House displays artifacts in the style of an 18 th century country house, and the Racing Museum at Mondello Park displays thirty cars. In both cases the objects are on open display, and access to and conservation of the objects is strictly monitored. In some museums artifacts are displayed thematically to evoke an atmosphere, i.e. rural country life, and as a result the objects are on open display, such as the folk kitchen at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre, the recreations of the thatched house in Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park, the Shaker-style kitchen dressers in the Ballitore Library and Quaker Museum, and Saint Brigid’s Cathedral in Kildare town. In these organizations there is heightened risks to the security, stability and conservation of the artifact. Seven museums provide supplementary information panels directly related to the objects on display. Three museums provide limited supplementary information on the display collection. Three museums provide no supplementary information on artifacts on display. The format of supplementary information panels ranges from small typed labels relating to individual objects or a single label which includes information on a range of artifacts, usually in the same display case. Where artifacts do not have supplementary information, such as at Castletown, guided tours provide supplementary information on all aspects of the house and its contents. 7.9 Documentation and Cataloguing of Collections There are a range of techniques for the documentation and cataloguing of collections available. For smaller collections it may be more practical to operate hand-written catalogues or a simple Microsoft Access database. CATAOLUGE TYPE No. Computerised 2 Hand written 4 Card index 2 Un-catalogued 6 CHARLES DUGGAN ARHITECTURAL HERITAGE ADVISOR 35
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1.0 INTRODUCTION Kildare County Council in association - Kildare.ie

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