Irish Museums Association
Professional services
UnclaimedAn all-island professional membership organization supporting the development, advocacy, research, and public value of museums in Ireland.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Irish Museums Association (IMA) is an all-island professional membership body representing and supporting the museum sector in Ireland. Its work covers museums and museum professionals in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and is focused on strengthening the sector's contribution to learning, conservation, research, interpretation, cultural participation, and public life. Rather than operating museums itself or selling consumer products, the association functions as a sector-support organization: it connects practitioners, promotes professional standards, provides learning opportunities, disseminates research, and advocates for the value of collections and museums in society. The association developed from the Ireland branch of the International Council of Museums. In 1977, a voluntary executive committee led by James White, then director of the National Gallery of Ireland, established the organization to protect and advance the interests of Irish museums. The IMA later formalized its organizational structure. In 2004 it registered as a non-profit company limited by guarantee and appointed its first staff member, marking a transition from a primarily volunteer-led body toward a more structured professional association. Its programme includes an annual conference, professional development and training, publications, research, advocacy, and sector-wide dissemination. The annual conference is held in different locations and addresses changing questions in museum practice and public policy. Themes documented in recent years have included decolonization and cataloguing, institutional transformation, audience engagement, contemporary collecting, cultural tourism, cultural democracy, public policy, memory, partnership-building, and the social role of museums. These events bring together museum directors, curators, registrars, educators, researchers, policymakers, and speakers from related cultural institutions in Ireland and abroad. The IMA publishes Museum Ireland, a sectoral journal identified by ISSN 0961-9690, and uses its communications and research activities to circulate professional knowledge. Its publicly stated emphasis is on demonstrating the value of museum collections and the ways museums contribute to education, conservation, research, interpretation, and society. The association's programme has been supported by the Heritage Council and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. Leadership is provided through a governing board and elected or appointed officeholders drawn from the Irish museum and heritage community. Audrey Whitty, director of the National Library of Ireland and formerly deputy director and head of collections and learning at the National Museum of Ireland, is identified as the current chair of the governing board in the available reference material. She succeeded William Blair in 2020. Earlier chairs included Brian Crowley, Paul Doyle, and Dr Marie Bourke. As a professional association, the IMA's influence is primarily convening, developmental, representational, and intellectual rather than commercial. Its continuing role is to help museums respond to social change, improve professional practice, and articulate their cultural value across the island of Ireland.
History
The Irish Museums Association traces its origins to the Ireland branch of the International Council of Museums. In 1977, a voluntary executive committee led by James White, director of the National Gallery of Ireland from 1964 to 1980, established the association to protect the interests of Irish museums and to provide a common professional platform for the sector. Its remit developed around the practical and public-facing needs of museums: supporting collections, conservation, research, interpretation, education, and the wider social contribution of museums. For much of its early development, the association operated through professional participation and voluntary leadership. Its function was to connect people working in museums and related heritage institutions, provide a collective voice for the sector, and encourage the exchange of expertise across institutional and geographic boundaries. The association's all-island character means that its field of reference includes museums in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, rather than being limited to a single jurisdiction. A significant organizational change came in 2004, when the IMA registered as a non-profit company limited by guarantee and hired its first member of staff. This formalization gave the association a more permanent administrative foundation and enabled it to develop a sustained programme of professional activity. Its work subsequently came to include an annual conference, professional training, publications, original research, advocacy, and dissemination of information relevant to museum practice. The programme has been supported by the Heritage Council and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. The annual conference became one of the association's principal public and professional activities. It is hosted in a different venue from year to year and uses a central theme to examine current issues in museum policy and practice. The documented conference sequence shows the breadth of the IMA's concerns. In 2012, Rising to the Challenge addressed pressures and opportunities facing museums. The 2013 meeting in Kilkenny explored partnerships and connections through The Porous Museum. Museums & Memory: Challenging Histories in Waterford in 2014 considered contested and difficult histories. The 2015 Belfast conference examined museums and public policy, while the 2016 Dublin meeting discussed cultural democracy and museums' responsibilities to society. Later conferences addressed cultural tourism and contemporary museums in Galway in 2017, the collection of contemporary material in Dublin in 2018, and public engagement in Cork in 2019. The 2020 conference in Athlone focused on institutional transformation. In 2021, the association held an online conference on decolonising catalogues, reflecting growing international attention to the language, classifications, ownership histories, and interpretive frameworks used by museums. Publications have also been central to the IMA's role. Its sectoral journal, Museum Ireland, provides a channel for professional discussion and documentation. Together with training, research, conferences, and advocacy, the journal supports the association's objective of strengthening museum practice and communicating the value of collections to the wider public. The association's leadership has been drawn from senior figures in Irish museums, libraries, galleries, and heritage institutions. Audrey Whitty, director of the National Library of Ireland and previously deputy director and head of collections and learning at the National Museum of Ireland, is identified as chair of the governing board in the available reference material. She succeeded William Blair in 2020. Earlier chairs included Brian Crowley, Paul Doyle, and Dr Marie Bourke. The succession illustrates the association's practice of drawing governance from experienced professionals across the cultural sector. Today, the IMA remains a professional membership and development organization rather than a museum operator. Its continuing purpose is to create connections among practitioners, support learning and standards, represent the sector's interests, and help museums respond to changing expectations around access, inclusion, interpretation, collections, and public value.
- 2021
Decolonising the Catalogues
[1]The online conference examined decolonization, cataloguing practices, and the assumptions embedded in museum documentation.
- 2020
Transforming Museums
[1]The Athlone conference explored institutional and professional transformation in museums.
- 2019
We Are All Engagers
[1]The Cork conference focused on engagement and relationships between museums and their audiences and communities.
- 2018
Collecting the Now
[1]The Dublin conference addressed contemporary collecting and how museums document the present.
- 2017
Cultural Tourism and the Contemporary Museum
[1]The Galway conference examined cultural tourism and the changing role of contemporary museums.
- 2016
Museums for Society: Towards a Cultural Democracy
[1]The Dublin conference considered cultural democracy and the role of museums in society.
- 2015
Museums in Society: Navigating Public Policy
[1]The Belfast conference explored the relationship between museums, public policy, and social responsibilities.
- 2014
Museums & Memory: Challenging Histories
[1]The Waterford conference addressed memory, historical interpretation, and difficult or contested histories.
- 2013
The Porous Museum conference
[1]The Kilkenny conference focused on partnerships, institutional connections, and collaborative museum practice.
- 2012
Rising to the Challenge conference
[1]The annual conference was held in Limerick and examined challenges facing museums and the sector's responses.
Products and positioning
An all-island professional representative and development body for museums and museum workers, combining sector advocacy, knowledge exchange, training, research, publications, and conference programming.
Professional journal
Museum Ireland
Museum Ireland is the association's sectoral journal, providing a publication channel for professional discussion, research, and information about museum practice in Ireland. It forms part of the IMA's wider dissemination role and is identified in the available reference material by ISSN 0961-9690.
Professional event
Annual conference
The IMA's annual conference is held in a different venue each year and is organized around a major theme in museum practice, policy, collections, interpretation, engagement, or social responsibility. It brings together museum professionals, researchers, cultural leaders, and speakers from Ireland and abroad.
Training service
Professional development and training
Professional development is a core part of the IMA programme. Its training and learning activity is intended to help museum workers build knowledge and skills relevant to collections, conservation, interpretation, education, research, governance, and public engagement.
Sector support
Research and advocacy
The association undertakes or disseminates research and advocates for the contribution of museums and collections to society. This work supports sector visibility and encourages informed discussion of museum policy and practice.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Decolonising the Catalogues
Ireland · Northern Ireland · Online
The 2021 annual conference examined decolonization in museum cataloguing and related questions about description, classification, interpretation, and inherited institutional frameworks.
- 2020Transforming Museums
Ireland · Northern Ireland
The 2020 conference in Athlone focused on transformation in museums and brought together leaders and practitioners to discuss institutional change.
- 2019We Are All Engagers
Ireland · Northern Ireland
The 2019 Cork conference explored engagement, participation, and the ways museums build relationships with audiences and communities.
Brand decisions
2020
Moved the annual conference online in 2021OtherBackground
The association's 2021 programme addressed decolonization and cataloguing through an online conference held from 19 to 30 November.
Action taken
The IMA delivered the 2021 annual conference online rather than at a physical venue.
Aftermath
The online format enabled the association to continue its annual conference programme around the theme Decolonising the Catalogues.
2004
Formalized the association as a staffed non-profit companyStrategyBackground
The organization had developed from a voluntary professional body and required a more permanent administrative structure to support its programme.
Action taken
The IMA registered as a company limited by guarantee and hired its first member of staff.
Aftermath
The change provided a formal organizational basis for continuing conferences, training, publications, research, advocacy, and dissemination activities.
Sources2 sources
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