A permanent women’s museum could be developed in Ireland.
The establishment of such a museum is among 31 recommendations made by a committee that was tasked with examining how to improve the representation of women’s stories in Ireland’s cultural institutions and national collections.
The Advisory Committee on Women’s Stories, which was established in March 2024, presented its report to Government this week.
The committee said the development of a permanent, dedicated physical museum would “give visibility, legitimacy and recognition to women’s representation, experiences and voices, in all their diversity”.
The group called for a detailed feasibility study to be undertaken “to determine the most appropriate approach, configuration and sustained funding model for the dedicated physical museum”.
Other recommendations include enhanced funding in this area for national cultural institutions and the need to adopt policy that enables women to be better represented across the cultural sector, particularly those from marginalised groups.
The committee said the level of interest in the Women’s Museum of Ireland, an online collection launched in 2013, highlighted “the public appetite to learn more about women’s experiences and contribution”.
Other countries have developed similar initiatives, including the Vietnamese Women’s Museum in Hanoi and the Glasgow Women’s Library in Scotland.
Minister for Culture Patrick O’Donovan on Friday said he is “determined to progress these recommendations, including the one establishing a permanent women’s museum”.
“I know that women’s voices, experiences and influence have not always been fairly represented across the cultural sector and that this has caused great hurt to many,” Mr O’Donovan said.
“Now, more than ever, it is vitally important that we all do our level best to advance equality and create a more inclusive and socially-just society.”
Dr Sandra Collins, chair of the committee, said she hoped the recommendations “will assist the Government in implementing positive changes that will enhance women’s visibility, participation and influence across all aspects of the cultural sector and cultural life”.
Dr Collins said the committee “focused on an inclusive and consultative approach to bring a rich diversity of experiences, personal expertise and knowledge to the process”.
The group met several times in the last 18 months and compiled the views of relevant stakeholders.
The committee also recommended the building of supportive partnerships in the sector to advance “the representation of women and women’s stories in all their diversity through the provision of funding and other essential supports”.
The report said while some of the recommendations can be acted on quickly, others are “ambitious and complex, and will require significant planning, time, support and resources from the State to implement fully”.
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“The potential benefits from the State’s investment, in terms of immediate impacts and positive outcomes for generations to come, are immense”, the document added.
The National Women’s Council welcomed the museum recommendation. The organisation’s head of policy Doireann Crosson said: “For far too long women’s stories have been written out of our history. Our diverse stories and experiences deserve to be told and are a vital and rich part of our history, culture and society, that has often been overlooked and marginalised. The recommendations of this report will be vital to address this gap,” she said.