Think of what happens when the museum attendant shuts down the lights and locks the door for the night on the silent stone of Collins Barracks. All those ancient artefacts must be eerie and atmospheric in the dark, long corridors that once housed the British garrison. Here Wolfe Tone was imprisoned and United Irishmen lost their lives. It's not difficult to imagine the ghosts that must stalk these silent halls. Wait. Could this be one of them, all decked out in fur and sipping a glass of Chardonnay? No. The odour of potent perfume suggests a living and breathing patron of the arts, rather than some spirit of yesteryear.
Soon scores of people are milling around the reception area. Outside there is moonlight, but inside, under soft light, the After Dark Circle has gathered. They're a mixed bunch of about 200 or so, here to nibble canapes, have a glass or two and enjoy a private themed viewing of the collections at the museum. It's a whole new way of experiencing a museum, after dark and social; and it's the brainchild of Bernadette O'Neill, head of marketing at the National Museum.
According to O'Neill, tonight's event is part of an international trend - the Met, for example, which is open until nine, is the place to go in New York on a Friday night. It's a matter of finding fresh themes for the collections; in this case, a theme every month over 10 months.
Tonight's is "French Connections". Apart from the French wine on offer, a route has been mapped out through the museum, from one French artefact to the next. Visitors can wander, guide booklet in hand, and find their way from one specially-marked exhibit to the next, where museum staff await them with commentaries and explanations. The whole experience is different from the usual way of visiting a museum, either as an individual or as part of a group tour. It feels more like a theatre opening than a typical museum visit. There is a sense of occasion, a thrill at being let loose at an hour when the museum would normally be closed.
"The museum is a lot more alive than I've ever seen it before," says Martina Doyle, a member of the circle. "It is a social event, rather than the museum being just a building housing artefacts. It makes the place come to life a lot more." "It's well worth seeing selected things, things that are picked out to show. Some of the artefacts I saw before, but paid little attention to until now," says Betty Clancy, here with her husband Declan.
Since the first phase of the project at Collins Barracks opened its doors back in September 1997, the decorative art objects and furniture collections on display have attracted about 200,000 visitors a year. While that is somewhat less than the 300,000 projected by Noel Delaney, head of museum services, back in 1998, Collins Barracks has managed to overtake the Natural History Museum as a visitor attraction. While the National Museum in Kildare Street remains the most popular attraction, pulling in about 350,000 visitors a year, Delaney envisages that the Collins Barracks site has the potential to surpass all the other National Museum sites when phases two and three of its development project are completed.
"While it is a challenge to get the public in at the moment, I would say that this site has the most potential," he says. "The factors that will change it and realise the potential are the second and third phases of the development. A new building will double the exhibition capacity, including a large shop, a cafe and education centre. Phase three will be to develop the rest of Clarke Square."
DELANEY agrees that the eventual opening of the museum stop on the LUAS light rail line will do much to bring visitors from the city centre to the site.
"The main problem at the moment is the effort that you have to make to get to the site," he says. "Psychologically, it seems further out from the city than it actually is; there's a lot of dereliction between us and the city. But developments like the Smithfield development will help to change that."
Among the members of the After Dark Circle wandering around the museum halls, many that I spoke to, like Kevin Mullaly, were visiting Collins Barracks for the first time. "We were given this as a gift," says Mullaly. "We're not too sure what to expect. But we're in the antique business ourselves, so we're very, very interested, obviously."
Kevin Mullaly is exactly the kind of visitor that the museum's marketing department has been courting in recent years. Advertising through niche interest publications, such as Archaeology Ireland, it has sought those with an interest in antiques and history, put together a mailing list and attempted to bring in people already predisposed to what the museum has to offer. But if Collins Barracks is trying to attract a younger, urban family audience, then surely
courting the selective and older audience of the After Dark Circle runs counter to its purpose? Doesn't the whole thing have the whiff of elitism?
"I don't think that you could say it's elitist, based on the cost of becoming a member," says Bernadette O'Neill. "If you look at the pick-up, it's from a cross-section of people. It's a competitive and reasonable amount of money for what you get. The membership of the After Dark Circle is very competitive, but it's not inaccessible. It works out at £60 a year for two people - that's £30 each for 10 events. Its not intended that it's an exclusive group of people that get access to the collections after dark. It's very democratic, and each member can bring a guest."
The success of the experiment is clear in the satisfaction expressed at the end of the night by those who attended. While the evening may be something of a public relations exercise, it also points the way forward for a museum that is intended to be more than simply a house for artefacts. Noel Delaney emphasises that while exhibiting its collection may be the core business of the National Museum, the potential of the fine building at Collins Barracks is something that will be explored.
"Tonight is one type of event, but we hope in the next few years to range from this type of event to a major festival-type event on the square here in Collins Barracks," he says.
"You could have thousands of people here. We're not yet sure what that event might be. It could range from a pop concert through to opera, who knows? The scope is there.
"This is a site people could use for many activities. Tonight is just the start of a process of opening up the site for special events."
There may still be a limited number of places available for After Dark Circle evenings. The next, which concentrates on the collection of gold, will be held at the National Museum in Kildare Street, on April 26th. More details can be obtained from the museum at tel: 016777444.
