Dream of a county museum appears hamstrung by costs it would entail

The Tara Brooch, Clonycavan Man, the Book of Kells - all artefacts that are part of Meath's glorious past. But where are they? Certainly not in Meath. So why aren't they exhibited in the Royal County? Good question. Perhaps it is because Meath doesn't have a museum of its own where they can be exhibited and appreciated. There have been varying attempts at giving substance to the dream of having a museum here. Of course, the high kings of culture in Dublin might look down their well-powdered noses at the very idea that Meath people might have an aspiration to have the cultural treasures related to the county in situ here. They might well claim , as they have in the past, that these are 'national' treasures and therefore ought to be held in the strongholds of culture at Kildare Street and Collins Barracks in the capital city. And they might also claim that Meath has its own 'outdoor museums' of Newgrange, Knowth, Dowth, Tara, Bective, Trim, Slane.....the list is endless, and there is no obvious need or public demand for a roofed building where these treasures could be housed and displayed. There is a history to all this, in a manner of speaking. The Meath Archaeological and Historical Society (MAHS) had the idea of locating a museum at the Hill of Tara. That dates back to the 1960s but nothing ever came of it. Another attempt to show some of our treasures was then mounted when a small collection of items was put together at Trim Library. That exhibition went on to the County Library in Navan when it was opened. Many towns throughout Ireland have their own library. There are many examples of small, community-run libraries giving an excellent, and often voluntary, service. Of course, it is important to make the distinction between these voluntary museums and what are known as county museums. County museums are operated by the respective county councils and there are excellent examples of these right around the country. They also have the services of professional curators. The town museums are mainly staffed by amateur historians and well-intentioned volunteers. A good example of this exists in Drogheda where a voluntary museum was set up by a small band of volunteers in the 1960s and it remains one of the long-established and best-run museums of its kind in the country. At the expense of being unfair to some of these smaller museums, which operate on shoestring budgets, there are examples of extremely well-stocked and well-run county museums, including those at Dundalk, Carlow, and Ennis (where the Clare County Muesum was instigated by current Meath County Manager, Tom Dowling). One of this county's leading historians, Noel French, director of the Meath Heritage Centre, which provides a professional family history service to people wishing to trace their roots, admits the establishment of a county museum in Meath has been a dream of his for many years. However, no county museum could be set up without the help of national or local government. And where would the money come from for a signature project of this kind? Another good question. These county museums cost money, but do not generate it. The one outstanding advantage from having a county centre is the number of visitors a museum of this type might attract into Meath, perhaps providing some jobs and income for local people. But then there is another 'elephant in the room'. Why would people bother to come to a museum with a roof on it if they can get almost the same outdoors at Newgrange, Tara or Slane? The answer to that might lie in the huge amount of material found in Meath but not on exhibition anywhere. For instance, the National Museum of Ireland will display 'showpiece' items like the Tara Brooch (which should really have been named the Laytown Brooch) or Clonycavan Man but there are thousands upon thousands of items in storage which might never see the light of day, or the curious eye of the National Museum visitor. Noel French says that local historians have pinpointed one route which might be taken by those pushing for a county museum. He says the idea of a 'virtual museum' have been raised. This would entail the cataloguing items with a Meath interest, photographing them and putting them online where they could be viewed by people throughout the world. That might do away with the need to have physical buildings and staffing - but it would also entail having money to put flesh on the bones. Even with 500 volunteer members throughout the county, MAHS would have serious difficulties in getting this project to fruition. But it is beyond doubt that a virtual museum would be one road stop on the route to a fully-fledged 'physical' museum for Meath.