The National Museum of Ireland – Country Life has been awarded the Sandford Award for Heritage Educa

The National Museum of Ireland – Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo has been awarded the Sandford Award for Heritage Education 2014.

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF IRELAND

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF IRELAND – COUNTRY LIFE RECEIVES MAJOR EDUCATIONAL AWARD

The National Museum of Ireland – Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo has been awarded the Sandford Award for Heritage Education 2014. The Heritage Education Trust has recognised the National Museum of Ireland - Country life for the high quality of its learning programmes for a broad range of audiences including primary and post-primary schools from all around the country. This is the third Sandford Award which the Museum of Country Life has received since it opened in 2001.

This is a major recognition of the outstanding work undertaken each day by the staff of the Museum’s Education Department. The Sandford Award is an independently judged, quality assured assessment of education programmes at heritage sites, museums, archives and collections throughout Britain and Ireland.

According to the international judges who assessed the Museum’s educational programme:

The National Museum of Ireland – Country Life offers learning programmes that continue to be very well developed and delivered in a sensitive way by a knowledgeable and talented team. Schools will benefit from a visit, as the story covers the history of life in rural Ireland from Victorian times, through the Famines and emigration to the present. It is a living history that educates and entertains.

Commenting on the award, Mr. Raghnall Ó Floinn, Director of the National Museum of Ireland said:

“I am delighted that the Education Service at the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life has been awarded the Sandford Award for Heritage Education for 2014. This is the third time that the Museum of Country Life has garnered this prestigious prize, having previously received it in 2004 and 2009.

The dedication and professionalism of the staff is to be commended. It is indeed a great honour for the National Museum of Ireland and a tribute to the sterling work not only of the Education staff at the Museum of Country Life but of all staff there. It is an achievement of which they should be rightly proud (as I am) and I would like to congratulate them on their success”.

Ms. Lorraine Comer, Head of Education, National Museum of Ireland was particularly pleased.

“This is an important award for the Museum to achieve. Winning it for a third year is a recognition of the Museum’s commitment to providing quality and innovative learning opportunities for those in the formal education sector, and is testament to the hard work, creativity and passion of the education team at the Museum of Country Life.”

Mr Tony Candon, Manager Keeper of the Museum of Country Life, welcomed the renewal of the Award and complimented the staff involved.

“The Museum is very lucky to have imaginative, talented and committed staff. The achievement of this prestigious award recognises their talent and dedication.”

The Calendar of Events offers an ongoing programme of activities for adults, children and families to enjoy at the Museum. For more details visit www.museum.ie

The 2014 -2015 Schools Programmes for Primary and Post primary levels is now available online in the Explore and Learn section of the Museum website www.museum.ie. Services for schools are FREE.

The Schools Programme is a ‘one-stop shop’ for teachers interested in visiting the Museum. Providing clear and concise information about planning your trip, pre-visit preparation, activities on the day as well as ideas and resources for the classroom; this resource is designed for the education professional. On a visit to the Museum, students of all ages can explore the exhibitions and enjoy activities and interactive resources designed to complement the Primary and Post primary curricula in a fun and enjoyable way. The Schools Programme outlines special one off events, a range of tours and activities that can be pre-booked and learning resources for the classroom.

There are a number of self-directed resources available to schools when they arrive to the Museum. Schools can get hands-on with the handling objects and clothing. The worksheets are another popular way of exploring the Folklife collection.

The Schools programme includes details of a selection of special events scheduled throughout the school term as well as a menu of tours and workshops delivered by museum staff.

This year's Sandford Award ceremony will be hosted by the UK’s National Maritime Museum in Greenwich in December.

Ends. 03 December 2014.

Issued by:

Bernie Byron, Marketing Executive, National Museum of Ireland – Country Life., Turlough Park, Castlebar. Tel: 094 903 1755; email: bbyron@museum.ie

Note to Editor:

About the award.

ABOUT THE SANDFORD AWARD

The Sandford Award is an independently judged, quality assured assessment of education programmes at heritage sites, museums, archives and collections across the British Isles.

More than 350 sites - including historic houses, museums, galleries, places of worship, gardens, landscapes and collections – have received an Award since the scheme began in 1978. They include Hampton Court Palace, Brunel’s ss Great Britain in Bristol, Fota Wildlife Park in Eire, Edinburgh Castle, and Big Pit - the National Mining Museum of Wales.

The Sandford Award represents a broad spectrum of heritage sector partners who recognise the importance of the continuing programme of quality assessment that they provide. We are delighted to announce that Historic Royal Palaces has become our principal funder, with a new partnership agreement beginning in 2013. The Historic Houses Association also supports our work. The National Trust, The National Trust for Scotland, Historic Scotland, The Royal Armouries and National Museums in England, Wales and Ireland all submit their properties for assessment, alongside local authorities, independent trusts and private owners.

The Awards focus on formal, curriculum-linked education opportunities offered to schools by heritage sites, although recognition is also made of informal learning such as family programmes. The Awards are made annually and are non competitive.

Benefits for entrants

The Sandford Award provides:

• A ‘kite mark’ for high quality education provision which is recognised by schools and other education institutions across the United Kingdom and Ireland

• The opportunity to use your award to attract new visitors

• A detailed consultancy report as part of the expert judging process, which you can use to effect positive change in your organisation

• The opportunity to attend an award ceremony and workshop to share good practice and learn from other practitioners

• National recognition among the heritage sector of the personal contribution of you and your staff, which will help to motivate the whole site to develop its good practice further

Who manages the Award?

The Sandford Award is managed by the Heritage Education Trust in partnership with Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln. The Trust is the only body in existence able to provide independent quality assurance to historic properties and collections which run education programmes. Bishop Grosseteste has its own record of excellence in this field and offers a unique graduate and post graduate course in Heritage Education. Together, these two institutions subsidise the cost of entry to the Sandford Awards five-fold in order to cover the cost of the assessment, the reporting process and the presentation ceremony