WMI response to Government plans for a Women’s Museum

In September 2023, Minister Catherine Martin announced the establishment of a new expert committee to advise on the representation of women and women’s stories within Ireland’s national cultural institutions, as well as plans for the possible establishment of a new national women’s museum.

In the article National Women’s Museum: Is it a good idea and who should it feature? the Irish Times asked for responses to the plans.

Read the response from the Womens Museum of Ireland below

A lot of women’s history in recent years focuses on ‘firsts’ or women who stood out for their accomplishments during a time when the limelight purposefully avoided them. Our own project the Women's Museum of Ireland (www.womensmuseumofireland.ie) has amassed its own online archive of such individuals, such as pioneering Editor-in-Chief of Harpers Bazaar Carmel Snow (1887-1961) and the alpinist Elizabeth (Lizzie) Le Blond (1860-1934).

While these stories of trailblazers are important and fascinating, a more holistic appraisal of women’s lives would be welcome and help contextualise the social, political and economic reality of ordinary and so-called extraordinary women’s lives. Such an enquiry would answer the question of why there aren’t more women’s names in the mainstream history books, and unearth the quieter heroines. Women’s contributions to labour movements, agriculture, the civil service, politics, culture and design as well as their influence in domestic spheres are just some of the many prisms through which this proposed museum can present women’s lives and histories in context.

An endeavour such as a museum focused on women’s history also has the wonderful opportunity to open a national conversation on evaluating and enhancing other collections and exhibits up and down the country.

It is a move to be welcomed.  

The Women's Museum of Ireland project