Galway County Council has granted planning permission for a new museum on Inishbofin to replace the aging building by the pier.
Marie Coyne submitted plans a museum with a display area, photographic exhibition room, restoration workshop, archive storage and gift shop with coffee dock at Middlequarter, Inishbofin.
The Inishbofin Heritage Museum was established in 1998 in what was originally a marine storage building adjacent to the old pier.
Among the collections curated there are items that show a slice of island life as it used to be, with fishing, farming, and trades tools from traditional island homes on display.
It also houses a significant archive of photographic and written material related to island life on Inishbofin.
The new premises is needed as the old building is but undersized for the amount of material is houses, and is not in a fit state to protect the items the application stated.
“The small building the applicant is currently using is totally inadequate and undersized for the large collection of valuable objects that have been donated and in some cases saved from destruction.”
“Objects are as diverse as cannons, marine objects, musket balls, manuscripts, 18th century manuscripts, farming implements, early 19th century photographs of inhabitants of both islands, hand written archives”.
The site has also been flooded and damaged by storms repeatedly in recent years, threatening the integrity of the collected items.
No public submissions were made to Galway County Council concerning this development.
Planning permission was granted for the new museum by the council with eight conditions attached.
Tree and shrub species native to the area must be planted at the site perimeter in the first planting season after construction starts.
Any existing trees, hedgerows, or stone walls on the site must be retained, except for the provision of access to the site.
