Visitors to exhibitions and events in Irish cultural institutions up by 7%

It has been announced by the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport that there were over 3.5 million visitors to Irish museums, galleries and libraries in 2010, which are all free of charge to access. While figures remain consistent in many of the institutions, some experienced significant increases in visitors in 2010 including The National Library of Ireland, for example, which saw an increase from 138,809 visits in 2009 to 185,591 visits in 2010. The National Museum Turlough Park, Crawford Art Gallery, Science Gallery, Royal Hibernian Academy and Foynes Flying Boat Museum also saw an increase in their number of visitors in 2010.   The Natural History Museum, which reopened in April of last year following a refurbishment, attracted 253,597 visitors for the period since its reopening.

Exhibitions that undoubtedly attracted numbers were “The Moderns” exhibition at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the Yeats exhibition at the National Library and “Taking Stock” at the National Gallery of Ireland, which focused on the acquisitions of the Gallery over the last 10 years and an exhibition devoted to the Dutch painter Gabriel Metsu (1629 – 1667). The National Archives website attracted approximately 4 million visitors thanks to the 1901 census going live on the site.

The work of the staff within the institutions was commended by the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Mary Hanafin, who outlined that “the diversity of the exhibitions and events that the cultural institutions offer is outstanding and is part of what defines us as a nation. It is clear that they will continue to form a major part of the tourism attraction on offer. That attraction will become increasingly important as we strive to continue our economic recovery.”

Source: Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport