Three Cork museums to share almost €40,000 in tourism grants

Three Cork museums will receive nearly €40,000 in grants for projects to enhance their cultural offering, encourage greater access, and promote the use of museums as tourism resources.

Cork Public Museum will receive €15,000 for We Were Always There – Cork’s LGBT History exhibit, the first permanent exhibition dedicated to LGBTQ+ history in an Irish Local Authority Museum. It builds on Cork Public Museum’s ongoing work to make the museum an inclusive and welcoming space for all visitors, regardless of age, gender, religion or sexual orientation, with the exhibition to serve as a beacon of tolerance and community engagement.

The Butter Museum in Shandon has been awarded €13,165 for display enhancement and app integration project.

The aim of the project is to refresh museum labels and signage to allow integration with a new app by creating refreshed labels with QR codes.

The project also includes improvements to display through refitting two dressers, creating a new visitor area to enhance access and improve the cultural tourism experience.

South Presentation Centre CLG has also been awarded €10,500 for the ‘Lighting the Way – 250 Years of Presentation Sisters’ exhibition which will immerse visitors in the order’s history and impact, while advancing arts access through interactive displays and educational features.

The exhibition will celebrate the enduring spirit of service and social justice at the heart of the Presentation Sisters’ legacy, locally and globally, across generations, communities, educational settings, and faith traditions.

The projects are among 25 across Ireland which are benefitting from total funding of €273,615 which is being made available under the Regional Museum Exhibitions Scheme 2026.

Minister for Culture Patrick O’Donovan said: “These institutions play a vital role in preserving and sharing our culture and heritage.”