The Deputy will be aware from my replies to previous questions that arrangements in relation to the opening of Phase II of the new National Museum facility at Collins Barracks are at an advanced stage. It is hoped to open Phase 1 to the public about the second half of this year. Planning work is under way on further phases of the development which will not come on stream for some years.
The new National Museum facility will provide, through the exhibition of material, including that from the Art and Industry and Folklife collections, much of it previously unseen, an outline of the history of Ireland from 1600 to the present day in a unique and imaginative setting appropriate to a National Museum at the end of the 20th century. It will also provide much needed conservation, storage and research facilities.
The theme of Phase 1 at Collins Barracks will be the excellence of craft and applied art as found in industrial and traditional products of postmedieval Ireland, hopefully reflecting the social and economic history of the period. The teaching of industrial design and the use of craft and design to mirror the growth of the spirit of emerging nations will also be featured.