Politics, Archaeology and the Creation of a National Museum of Ireland.
Author: CROOKE, Elizabeth.
Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 2000. xii, 211 pages. Illustrated. Hardback.
This book is the first study of the political and social values that underpinned interest in Irish archaeology and the establishment of museum collections. It provides an historical perspective on the value systems inherent in the museum building process and it shows that the complexity of Irish history and politics is reflected in the range of attitudes to the Irish past. These are revealed in the care and ownership of the material remains of antiquity.
By considering the significance placed on the care and preservation of archaeology and collections in political texts, new insights are provided into the nature of Irish nationalism. These are then considered alongside the writings and addresses made by antiquarians, such as George Petrie and William Wilde. The discussion reveals how a certain vision of the Irish nation was brought into the evaluation and care of archaeology. The social and political role of museum collections is demonstrated through the history of museum provision in Dublin. The imperial and industrial purpose of the Dublin Museum of Science and Art, as a branch of the London Department, was clearly stated in its early years. Later, with the creation of the Irish Free State, the institution was redefined, and it emerged as the National Museum of Ireland.
This book concludes with a discussion of how these social and political concerns continue to shape the care of archaeology and the work of museums in contemporary Ireland.
ISBN: 0716527294
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