A survey on the state and status of geological collections in museums and private collections in the Republic of Ireland

Abstract

A simple postal survey of 73 museums, heritage centres, individuals and other establishments was conducted to assess the state and status of geological collections across the Republic of Ireland. There were 31 locations with a collection, assessed under three categories; 1) educational or institutional geological department, 2) County Museum/Local authority funded museum and 3) other collections including private ones. Excepting the National Museum, the specialised geological museums were mainly directed towards internal functions, with little outreach or community emphasis, and with a resource based lack of curatorial strength. The County Museums had little knowledge or practical concern for their geological collections, but a desire for assistance was clear. With the other collections the lack of appropriate knowledge to assess or use the geological collections was apparent. All but the specialised geological museums commonly confused archaeological specimens with geological ones and this misapprehension is evidently widely held. Some preliminary recommendations for improving the status of geological collections are suggested.