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REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE PRESENTATION OF THE GULBENKIAN FOUNDATION

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE PRESENTATION OF THE GULBENKIAN FOUNDATION & HERITAGE COUNCIL AWARDS AT DUBLIN CASTLE

As Patron of the Gulbenkian/Heritage Council Museum of the Year Awards it gives me particular pleasure to be here today for the presentation of the 1998 Awards – which are about recognising and acknowledging excellence in the collection and management of museum material – and the promotion of best practice in the very important work of preserving our heritage.

While the Awards Scheme has been in operation for six years now, this is the second year of the partnership between the Heritage Council and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation – a partnership which has raised the status of the awards to a new level. The awards are open to all museums and galleries in Ireland with the exception of commercially run galleries – and winners have come from both sides of the border. Indeed, the scheme is managed and run by the Northern Ireland Museums Council for all of Ireland, whose contribution represents a significant third strand to the partnership.

It has been an important year in the history of the island of Ireland – a year when people and communities have been recalling the events and episodes of the 1798 Rebellion, and the ideals and motivation of those who were involved – a year when we commemorated the ending of the First World War, and gave long overdue recognition to the countless thousands of Irishmen from all parts of Ireland who fought and died on the fields of Europe in the service of the British Army in the war that was to end all wars – and a year which has brought us to a new level of relationships between our traditions and cultures, which for so long have been a source of division and conflict. Part of that process of reconciliation, which has taken a major step forward with the Good Friday Agreement, necessarily involves opening up our minds and hearts to the reality of other histories and other stories that, for all sorts of reasons to do with allegiance and prejudice, it might have been uncomfortable to recognise in the past.

In tandem with the economic renaissance that we have been celebrating in recent years, we have seen a cultural renaissance with Irish art and artists establishing themselves at international level – and raising the profile of Ireland as a centre of culture. The very concept of renaissance is re-birth – in our case the re-birth of a culture that is full of diversity, echoing the ebb and flow of history as it affected this island – and the influence of the many people who came here over the centuries to find new homes. Underlying that renaissance is a maturity and self-confidence that has allowed us to shake off the old inhibitions - and to reach out to new horizons with boldness and determination. That spirit of self-belief and self-confidence is reflected in a willingness to look at ourselves in a new light – to look afresh at the wounding and wounded aspects of our past – to accept that there were victories and defeats – but to see them as being a part of their own place and time - resting in the chronicles of history – yet echoed today in the identities and cultures of the communities that make up the tapestry of this modern country.

Importantly and very fortunately, all of those histories are reflected in the memorabilia and artifacts that are collected in museums and galleries throughout the island – many of which concentrate on local communities having their own distinct identities. So their importance in the process comes more sharply into focus as being, for many people, the starting point in the process of discovery and the re-discovery of identities. The more we learn the more we come to realise that there never were easy answers to difficult questions. The person with a fixed straight-forward view of their cultural inheritance is a person who lacks insight to its complexity and richness. It is only through the presentation of all aspects of our culture, pleasant and not so pleasant, that we can hope to come to terms with the living continuum that is history and civilisation.

These awards seek to identify the often hidden work of museums which sometimes don’t get the recognition they deserve – focusing on the public use of museums, their education services, visitor facilities and exhibitions, as well on the important areas of conservation and collection care. The awards give us an opportunity, not just to celebrate the individual winners, but also to come together as a special community that has been entrusted with the care and promotion of our heritage. No other profession requires such dedication and commitment – to be fund-raiser, architect, builder, archaeologist, conservator, guide, teacher, and public relations officer. I would like to commend you all for the ease with which you carry your burdens - making learning enjoyable and rewarding, reaching out to the entire community, and embracing modern technology to enhance ancient wonders. We rely on the museum curators to extract from all the memorabilia of history – the bits that tell the story and tell the story both correctly and well – so that they don’t skew history for us. The debt that we owe them is very profound indeed.

I also want to commend the Gulbenkian Foundation, the Heritage Council and the Northern Ireland Museums Council for their work and encouragement through these awards in continuing to raise the standards of excellence of museums and galleries at this important time in our history – and heightening awareness of their role in promoting a broader appreciation of the importance of cultural diversity in a healthy society.

Finally, I would also like to pay tribute to the judges who have responded admirably to the challenge set them.