Failte Ireland, Ireland’s national tourism authority, has decided not to re-open Dublin’s Writers Museum, closed since the beginning of the pandemic, saying it “no longer meets the expectation of the contemporary museum visitor.”
The official statement essentially calls the museum, which opened in 1991 in an ornate building on Parnell Square, had fallen behind the times for modern museums: “We know from our work developing visitor attractions across the country that visitors consistently look for attractions that use modern and innovative storytelling that create impactful and immersive experiences.”
Opened in 1991, the Writers Museum appears to have taken second place to the newer Museum of Literature Ireland, which opened late in 2019. The Writers Museum collection—several thousand artifacts including a telephone owned by Samuel Beckett, Austin Clarke’s desk and Brendan Behan letters—remain with Failte Ireland, with no decision yet on where they will go.
Half the museum staff retired during the pandemic, and the remaining staff will work elsewhere for Failte, which is working on a new plan for the building.
