Louth museum maintains top national award from the Heritage Council

^{ABOVE: The team at Drogheda Museum Millmount receiving their accreditation award from Heritage Council CEO Virginia Teehan (third from left) and Heritage Council Member Sheila Pratschke (third from right) at the ceremony in Kilkenny Castle}

Drogheda Museum, Millmount was among 13 museums celebrated at a ceremony in Kilkenny Castle yesterday, having achieved official accreditation under the Heritage Council’s Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI).

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.

Drogheda Museum, Millmount, is an independent, volunteer-run museum which has worked hard to deliver a professional offering with ever changing staffing and financial resources.

The assessors noted the improvements made to the visitor experience, such as new cabinets, painting and lighting, as well as the work done to document its collection.

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