The Story of Irish Museums, published by Cork University Press, is a wide-ranging history, incorporating the founding and the progression of the key institutions in Irish cultural history. It looks at the collectors and collections that form the basis of the national collections. Also addressed is the public role of the museum, the theoretical models upon which modern museums were established and the cross-cultural influences that allowed the museum cultures of Britain and America to find fertile ground in Ireland.

Marie Bourke’s extensive research and clear passion for her subject have culminated in an erudite but accessible monograph on the history of the museum in Ireland within an international context, which also makes a strong case for the future viability of these cultural spaces in the age of global technology.

 “A significant, thoroughly-researched and original approach to a subject which has not received the recognition it deserves. Both scholars within the field, and the general public, will enjoy and benefit from this history that has many lessons for today.”

Dr Giles Waterfield - Independent curator and writer, Director of Royal Collection Studies and an Associate Lecturer at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London.

Dr Marie Bourke is Keeper and Head of Education at the National Gallery of Ireland. She has lectured widely, and written and edited a number of books. A former chairperson of the Irish Museums Association, she is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Art History and Cultural Policy, University College Dublin, and a member of the Governing Authority of the University of Limerick.   Marie Bourke is available for interview and comment

The Story of Irish Museums 1790-2000: Culture, Identity and Education , will be published on May 11th 2011, by Cork University Press, ISBN 978 185918 475 2, (hbk, 500 pp, 234 x 156mm, €49/£45).            

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