MUSEUM IRELAND 2020
What on earth happened? 2020: an extraordinary year Gina O’Kelly
On 12 March 2020, the Irish Government issued a
‘normal’ life, including no travel or socialising
directive for museums and cultural institutions in
beyond immediate communities and the closure
the Republic of Ireland to close from that evening,
of all non-essential services. As of May 2021,
with other industries following closely behind.
museums across the island are reopening after a
Five days later, a similar advisory was issued by
third lockdown, in place since 24 December 2020.
the NI Executive. The World Health Organisation had categorised COVID-19 as a global pandemic
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This has certainly been a difficult period for
and the island was to enter its first lockdown
our society as a whole, and museums have not
in an effort to mitigate the propagation of this
escaped unscathed. Not only has COVID-19 raised
contagious disease.
questions about our priorities and responsibilities, but political division, social upheaval, and renewed
Throughout the remaining nine months in
conversations around power dynamics have all
2020, museums in Dublin reopened for a total of
set a challenge that museums must address and
102 days, with other counties and jurisdictions
respond to.
similarly affected in accordance with the prevailing public health situation in each region.
Little did we imagine the extent of what was in
Measures additionally saw major restrictions to
store at the Irish Museums Association (IMA)’s
Closure notice, National Museum of Ireland. Credit: National Museum of Ireland
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