Learning from our past, enriching our present, innovating for our future

Creating Ireland’s First Publicly Accessible Medical Museum – Your Input Matters

The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland is developing exciting plans to create a medical museum at No. 6 Kildare Street. As part of our valued community, we want to hear your thoughts and are asking you to participate in a short survey.

Background:

We are in the initial stages of assessing the feasibility of undertaking a capital project to bring our collection together in a purpose-built space within the College, which would make them accessible to a wider audience.

The College has been accredited with official museum status since 2018. From Napoleon’s toothbrush and amputation kits to Kathleen Lynn’s diaries, our extensive collections are used by researchers and historians, contributing greatly to their knowledge of how medicine, medical equipment and medical practice have evolved over time. By creating a medical museum with interactive educational learning experiences, that showcases RCPI’s exceptional legacy and current impact, we have the potential to advance our mission and contribute to wider public knowledge, stakeholder engagement, and medical education.

Our plans are bold and ambitious. The development will provide an innovative, environmentally conscious, open and inclusive space, helping to enhance a healthy society. You can read more about the plans for the Museum here.

You can learn more about our collections, current exhibitions and upcoming events here.

A Museum Board, chaired by Dr Joan Power, has been established to lead and oversee the project. We are also partnering with consultancy firm, OKC, who are familiar with RCPI’s goals and aspirations, to guide our campaign plans and engagement with our Trainees, Members, Fellows and a wide range of external stakeholders in Ireland and internationally.

We value your input
The RCPI community is central to all our work and will play an important role in realising our vision for the Museum. To enable us to develop an effective and robust plan that reflects your views, we invite you to complete these short questions today. Final responses are requested by Sunday, 8 September.

We look forward to sharing a summary of the key insights and next stages in the autumn.