From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
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Committee to prepare guidelines for cultural institutions on artefacts in Ireland that may have been illegally or unethically elicited or traded.
Today marked the first meeting of a new expert committee on the restitution of historically and culturally sensitive objects in Ireland. Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, has tasked the committee with advising the government and preparing national guidelines on the restitution of cultural objects in Ireland that may have been illegally or unethically elicited or traded.
In recent years, there have been a number of cases in which cultural institutions and others have returned artefacts to their places of origin. While there is growing public awareness of these issues, as yet there are no guidelines for cultural institutions in Ireland setting out best practice in this area. The new advisory committee will provide critical support to cultural institutions and collection managers regarding professional standards in the management of cultural heritage.
The committee will be chaired by the Rt. Hon. Sir Donnell Deeny, chairman of the U.K. government’s Spoliation Advisory Panel and member of the Court of Arbitration for Art in The Hague. The Heritage Council, the statutory body with responsibility to propose policies relating to heritage objects as well as responsibility for the Museum Standards Programme of Ireland, will serve as the secretariat for the committee.
Speaking today, Minister Martin said:
“The establishment of this committee is a significant step toward establishing best practices in Ireland regarding the restitution of cultural objects. Both the chair and the committee members possess great expertise in this matter and I expect that their work will deepen our understanding of these complex and sensitive issues. I know that our cultural institutions will welcome this guidance.”
Chair of the advisory committee, Sir Donnell Deeny, stated:
“I was glad to accept the invitation of the Minister to chair this Committee, which will draw up guidelines and advise on delicate and complex issues relating to the restitution and repatriation of historic and cultural objects now in Ireland obtained in illegal or unethical circumstances in the past which call out for a remedy in the Ireland of today.”
Chief Executive Officer of the Heritage Council, Virginia Teehan, added:
“In recent years global issues around the ownership history of items in collections have come to the surface and matters surrounding requests for the return of cultural property can be very sensitive. Establishing a source of advice and information to help organisational governing bodies and museum professionals dealing with cultural property issues is urgently needed, and the Heritage Council welcomes the government’s proposals to explore how we can establish a framework for dealing with this complex issue. We look forward to working with the Chairperson and members of the Advisory Committee, with colleagues across government departments and within the Irish heritage sector in supporting the delivery of this important work.”
The members of the Advisory Committee are:
The Terms of Reference for the Advisory Committee are: