Newry Museum curator also takes over reins at Down County Museum

Newry Museum curator also takes over reins at Down County Museum

2 February 2022

NEWRY, Mourne and Down Council has appointed a new curator for Down County Museum.

The appointment of Noreen Cunningham to take over at the helm of the Downpatrick complex comes after stinging criticism of the local authority’s decision to base her in Newry.

Confirmation of Ms Cunningham’s appointment came yesterday in a press release issued by the local council describing her as a “seasoned professional” with over 25 years of curatorial experience.

Prior to working in the museum sector, she worked for several years as an archaeologist on excavations throughout Ireland, as well as extensive field surveys of hundreds of archaeological sites within Northern Ireland, primarily in Co Down and Derry.

Ms Cunningham has a degree in Archaeology and Social Anthropology from Queen’s University and an MSc in Cultural Management from the University of Ulster.

From 1992 to 1993 she held a Research Fellowship at the Institute of Irish Studies at Queen’s University. 

Between 2009 and 2010 she was seconded to the Northern Ireland Museums Council as assistant director and was involved in a wide range of work, including providing advice to the local museum sector, assessing grant-applications to the Museum Council’s funding streams as well as being involved in several research projects on various aspects of the museum sector in Northern Ireland.

Council chairwoman Cathy Mason said Ms Cunningham’s appointment was an extension of her current role as curator of Newry and Mourne Museum.  

“Noreen has a wealth of experience and an ambition to drive forward the growth of the council’s museums’ service in Newry and Downpatrick over the coming years,” she said.

“The Council is fully committed to the continuous improvement and development of our two museums. Through the work of dedicated museum officers, including our curator, the Down County and Newry and Mourne museums both provide a high quality visitor experience.

“They receive very positive reviews from visitors, offer excellent education programmes for local school groups and have a strong connection to our local communities.”

Cllr Mason said she welcomed Ms Cunningham’s appointment and the important work of the museums in contributing to the district’s culture and heritage.

The new curator in charge at the Downpatrick museum has been involved in the production of over 30 publications and has written extensively on diverse aspects of heritage ranging from museum topics, local history and archaeology.  

She has served on a number of organisations and bodies. From 2010-2013, she was chairperson of Northern Ireland Regional Curators Group and a board member of the Northern Ireland Museums Council.

Ms Cunningham is also currently Museum Mentor for Armagh Robinson Library and as curator of Newry and Mourne Museum, has been involved in the restoration of Bagenal’s Castle, home of Newry and Mourne Museum, in 2007. 

From 2017-2018 she planned and delivered a complete revamp of its museum galleries and also delivered two annual temporary exhibitions with accompanying booklets, as well as a number of travelling exhibitions such as the 2015 Famine Commemoration exhibition and a 1916 exhibition.

Last month, the council was accused of “downgrading” the status of Down County Museum with a former senior staff member claiming that the museum’s role was being reduced to that of a visitor centre because of staff cuts.

There has also been criticism of the decision to have one curator in charge of Down County Museum and Newry and Mourne Museum, with opponents of the move insisting that a full-time curator was needed in Downpatrick to ensure “professional standards are maintained”.