Lived experience,lived expertise: Collecting and interpreting the heritage of Ireland's religious-run social institutions at the National Museum of Ireland

Abstract

Representing Ireland's histories within the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) requires sensitive engagement with institutions of coercive confinement and their continuous impact. Among the most sensitive areas of national heritage are the histories of Magdalene Laundries, Mother and Baby Institutions, and Industrial and Reformatory Schools.

This paper outlines a collaborative methodology grounded in curatorial humility and the prioritisation of lived knowledge from survivors and affected communities. In recent years, NMI Curator BM has advanced contemporary collecting practices to enhance representation of these institutions, alongside Curator DR's development of a ‘lived-experience collecting’ approach. Together, these curators are developing a co-curatorial practice through new interpretive work in NMI galleries, created in collaboration with lived-experience experts.

Reflecting on this ongoing work, the authors consider the methodological, ethical and organisational challenges that arise when addressing sensitive histories and ongoing realities. They propose that curatorial humility offers a framework for navigating these complexities and for supporting accurate, respectful and survivor-centred representation of Ireland's history of coercive confinement.