The Dublin Writers Museum has permanently closed over concerns the landmark does not cater for modern visitors, Fáilte Ireland has said.
The Parnell Square institution never reopened following its closure in March 2020 during the first lockdown. Staffing concerns for the museum also acted as a barrier to a potential reopening- two staff have retired since 2020 while another two were redeployed into other sectors of Fáilte Ireland.
The Irish Independent recently revealed that an assessment of the museum had been approved by Fáilte Ireland in July 2020. The review concluded that the Irish Writers Museum was no longer considered relevant for modern tourists.
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“As standards of heritage conservation and interpretation have advanced considerably over recent years, the assessment concluded that the building at No 18 Parnell Square ‘no longer meets the expectation of the contemporary museum visitor in terms of accessibility, presentation and interpretation,” a spokesperson from Fáilte Ireland told the Irish Independent.
The museum’s website suggests that audio-visual tours were offered in six languages to its visitors. Wall panels revealed detailed information about individual authors and Irish literature.
Fáilte Ireland is now reportedly examining what to do with the artefacts left behind from the museum. The building holds many relics belonging to prominent Irish writers, including Samuel Beckett’s phone and Brendan Behan’s union membership card. The museum also contains early editions of books such as Jonathan Swift’s ‘Gulliver Travels’ and Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula.’
The Irish Writers Museum was first opened in 1991 and aimed to provide insights into the Irish literary world from a Dublin perspective. It is located in an original 18th century Georgian townhouse and showcases the work of several literary legends, including James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw and William Butler Yeats.
The news follows the recent reopening of the Natural History Museum, another cultural institution that had remained shut since the early days of the pandemic. The Dead Zoo, Dublin’s oldest museum, underwent extensive renovations in the past year that required the museum to be shut to the public.
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