by Emer Ní Cheallaigh, Registrar (acting), National Museum of Ireland

I have worked in the Irish heritage sector for the past 25 years and in the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) since May 2008. I am often asked what I do for a living and how I came to be in the line of work that has engaged me for a quarter of a century! Like many, I left school without any certainty about the career I wanted to have. I started a Bachelor of Arts at University College Dublin (UCD), engaging in something that I knew I would enjoy, namely Irish language and Irish Folklore.

As a student of folklore at UCD I was privileged to have access to two fascinating archival collections known as the Main Manuscript Collection and the Schools’ Manuscript Collection, which contained over 1.4 million pages of primary sources, recording traditional practices, calendar customs, memories, architecture, folktales, legends and much more. These collections ignited in me a desire to pursue a path of preserving and providing access to original source material to researchers and to the public. It led me to a place on the Higher Diploma in Archival Studies, 2001, followed by a Masters in Literature in Irish Folklore 2005, both at UCD.

My career journey as a professional archivist began on a six month contact to establish an in-house archive for the provincial headquarters of the Brothers of Charity (UK and Ireland). This was followed by 6 years as Archivist/Collector at the UCD Delargy Centre for Irish Folklore and the National Folklore Collection. I moved on from UCD to the position of Collections Development Manager in the GAA Museum in 2007 and from there, moved to the NMI in 2008. Having worked on contract for 10 years, a permanent position as the NMI’s first archivist/records manager was attractive for many reasons. I was keen to work in a national cultural institution, as part of a multi-disciplinary team, in amazing historical buildings with diverse range of collections.

During my time at the NMI, I have held three roles:

• Archivist/Records Manager, 2008-2021

• Deputy Registrar/Manager, Collection Resource Centre (CRC), 2021

• Registrar (Acting), 2021-present

Each role has been varied, exciting, engaging and challenging! The principles of preservation and access have underpinned each position. The NMI has a wealth of archival material recording the development of the museum, the journey of objects, the contribution of researchers, the development of exhibitions and the role that the NMI team members have played in caring for collections in the NMI. As the first archivist on staff, I am delighted to have played a part in preserving and providing accesses to these archives.

After 13 years as museum archivist, a vacancy arose for the position of Deputy Registrar/CRC Manager, and I was successful in securing the role. The role focused largely on the area of strategic storage, stakeholder engagement, collections logistics and facilities management, all of which fed into the NMI’s ability to care for the reserve collection, regularly accessed by researchers.

I currently hold the position of acting Registrar, where I am responsible for managing the NMI’s Registration Department. Our team is responsible for a wide range of services including the NMI’s loans programme, collections moves and transport, collections documentation and inventory, storage upgrades and library and archives management.

My current role has huge variety, and no two weeks are the same. Last month, I had the privilege of working with members of the NMI’s Registration team at National Museum of Ireland- County Life, carrying out a location survey. Last week, I worked at the NMI’s Collections Resource Centre, with colleagues from Conservation and the Office of Public Works on planning building modifications. Like many of my colleagues across the broader museum team, my role is a busy one, which can be challenging! On the other hand, I feel incredibly lucky to have the privilege to work as part of a team of colleagues that are hugely passionate about the national collection and the public that we serve.

To learn more about the work of the Registration Department please visit our Registration Department | National Museum of Ireland, to get an overview of the work that we do and the amazing collections we help record, care for, learn about and share.