Museum officers want more school groups coming in

Two women are spearheading a drive to bring more teachers and classes into the National Museum. "We really want to raise our profile - we really want teachers to come in with their classes," says Helen Beaumont, the museum's education and outreach officer at the new museum in Collins Barracks, Dublin. Dr Felicity Devlin, education officer at the museum in Kildare Street, Dublin, expresses the same sentiments.

Already the Vikings have landed at Kildare Street and teachers are being sent information about the exhibition to encourage them to visit with their young charges. Two boat-builders from Roskilde in Denmark will build a Viking boat inside the museum over the coming weeks. To date they are delighted with the lively questions from young visitors.

This exhibition and the open invitation to schools is just one strand in an increasingly varied programme which the National Museum is providing to teachers and classes.

Special activity sheets, information packs, teacher notes and general trails and tours around the National Museum's buildings - the third is the Natural History Museum on Merrion Street - form part of its education and outreach programme. More and more has been happening since the opening of the new museum at Collins Barracks last year.

"We have noticed an increase in the number of schools going through," says Devlin, who has been with the museum since 1979. "In recent times there's been a lot of development, especially with the appointment of additional staff and the opening of Collins Barracks. The changes are on-going.

"Although teachers don't have to let us know they're coming, I would definitely encourage teachers to let us know in advance. The museum is there to make the visit memorable, so it's no harm to let us know."

Both women say that the best time to go is during the off-peak times in the autumn, winter and early spring months.

At the moment there are drama and storytelling workshops for primary and second-level schools at Collins Barracks. Workshops are free of charge and designed to be flexible to suit all ages.

There are activity worksheets and trails for classes to follow while using sheets which complement exhibitions, such as the current 1798 exhibition. There is also the Children's Choice trail. So, there's plenty for teachers who don't let the museum know they are coming.

The Kildare Street museum will have a workshop for up to 100 young people next Saturday on the Viking exhibition. Admission here is also free but it's essential to book. For more information, phone the education and outreach department of the museum at (01) 677 7444.

Beaumont, who joined the museum last year, is also excited about a second-level art project which is about to get underway in association with the ASTI. There will be more on this Muse 99 initiative at a later stage on this page. At the moment, we can say that student works will be exhibited at Collins Barracks in April.

Workshops can be booked through the National Museum's education and outreach department. Information on exhibitions is available on the museum's website - http://indigo.ie/nmi1/museum/index.html