Ireland is a somewhat unusual country with regard to colonial looted artefacts, in that it can be said to be both a source country and market country. As the report observes on page vii, “Ireland was colonised, but some people from Ireland also acted as colonisers and returned home with cultural objects.”
As it was so integrated with the United Kingdom for so long, it is very likely that there are objects in both private and public collections of questionable or even obviously problematic origin.
As well as this, there are objects in international museums that have come from Ireland in contested circumstances (however it is also the case that in the last century of independence many objects were simply sold at auction to the highest bidder in broad daylight, in circumstances where the fledgling State could not afford to compete).
This report recognises the growing interest among the Irish public about these objects located in foreign museums (there are 6,445 in the British Museum for example), but also recognises the worrying lack of cataloguing data in Ireland, and want of guidelines and legislation to deal fairly and consistently with any claims that may arise.
The Committee first sought information through survey from a broad range of museums and other institutions around the country. Its findings were stark. For example:
- 90% of institutions lack comprehensive online catalogues
- 77% have no trained provenance research staff
- Many institutions had no restitution policy
- Funding for provenance work was inadequate
It will require investment, leadership and a willingness at Government level to implement the recommendations. The report states that should Ireland implement all of the recommendations, it will position itself at the forefront of international best practice in the field. Until now, claims have been addressed on an ad-hoc basis, with no dedicated national process.
