Museums
The Zoological Museum News
Museum awarded Interim Accreditation
The Zoological Museum is delighted to announce that it has been awarded interim accreditation from the Heritage Council under their Museum Standards Programme for Ireland scheme. The Heritage Council’s main commitment to collections care comes through its support of the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI). This important initiative, with participants from a wide range of Irish collecting institutions, sets out to raise standards of care across Irish museums and galleries. A voluntary programme, it has attracted involvement from across the cultural spectrum - from national institutions to small, volunteer-led organisations. The Zoological Museum is the first natural history Museum to receive the award in Ireland.
Zoological Museum launches its Guided Tours initiative
For a limited period from June 24th 2013, the Zoological Museum will open its doors to the general public by providing a unique visitor experience through specially conducted guided tours. Visitors will be given an introduction to the exciting world of extinct creatures, exotic beasts and beautiful glass models of marine animals. The tours will be given by zoology students and staff who will be happy to share their knowledge and experience of all creatures great and small. For further information including admission prices and opening times please see our section on Guided Tours.
Zoological Museum receives grant from the Trinity Foundation and Trust
We are very pleased to announce that the Trinity Trust and Foundation has awarded a grant of 6,000 Euro to the Zoological Museum. The grant will be used to carry out conservation/remedial work on the Murray collection of Irish Lepidoptera. It will also be used to finance a ‘museum standard’ permanent exhibition case for the entrance hallway. The Murray collection consists of 28 drawers of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) in two cabinets. There are over 4000 specimens in the collection and it ranks as one of the few really comprehensive collections of the period. Murray’s records are quoted in such standard entomological works as Beirne (1941) and Baynes (1964). The collection was donated to Trinity College in 1955 after the death of Dr Murray.A recent review of the collection showed 336 records for the Waterford county alone. The collection has been heavily drawn upon for national records going back to the Baynes revised catalogue of Irish Macrolepidoptera of 1964.