Display of human remains and depressing exhibitions among National Museum complaints

At Collins Barracks, one person said they were unhappy after “being hurried” out by two staff members before it was actually closing time. File picture

EXHIBITIONS that were too depressing, the way in which human remains were displayed, and being denied admission for not wearing a mask were among the complaints to the National Museum last year.

The museum said it had received two dozen formal complaints from members of the public last year across its four sites in Dublin and Mayo.

The first complaint of the year was about exhibition lighting that was too dim making it hard to see items on display at the Decorative Arts and History Museum in Collins Barracks in Dublin.

At the main museum on Kildare Street, a person complained after being told they were not allowed in unless they wore a mask during covid-19 restrictions.

Last March, a reviewer on Google said “the content[s] of the exhibitions are too depressing” at the Museum of Country Life in Co. Mayo.

There were two complaints in April, one about “poor interaction” with a member of staff and another about difficulties in accessing the museum’s recruitment system. Three complaints in June included one about the “lack of Traveller representation” in Mayo’s Museum of Country Life.

One person emailed in to gripe about excessive noise levels at Collins Barracks where toilets were being serviced for an event.

The lack of recycling bins was cause for another complaint while another visitor was unhappy with “the manner of displaying human remains” at the Museum of Archaeology.

The “wording of a particular Irish sign” was also the cause of a separate complaint about the Kildare Street venue, according to a log released under FOI. Another person said the museum itself was of a “disappointing standard” in a review on Google.

Staff interactions

There were a number of complaints about interactions with staff with one member of the public saying they were left upset after their visit and another giving out about trying to access a museum through a group admission.

At Collins Barracks, one person said they were unhappy after “being hurried” out by two staff members before it was actually closing time. Another visitor to the Museum of Country Life had the opposite problem, saying the museum had not opened on time one morning in November.

There were two complaints about the café there as well, with one citing the expense of dining there and another unhappy with staff.

In a statement, the National Museum of Ireland said: “Over one million people visit [our] four sites in Dublin and Mayo every year, including domestic and international visitors.

“There are several ways in which visitors can leave feedback on their experience at the [museums] and we welcome and review all comments – both positive and negative – because they enable us to continually improve our visitor experience.”