Sir, – Following Orla Tinsley’s piece on the “Dead Zoo” (Home News, July 25th), I must echo the sentiment that it is unfortunate so many of the Natural History Museum’s artifacts are hidden from public view.
Last summer, I and a handful of others were honoured to be brought on a tour, under the guidance of Nigel Monaghan, the keeper of the museum. We saw not only the exhibits already on display in the building, but also the breathtaking pieces in storage at Beggars Bush and Merrion Street. We were in awe of mammoth bones, casts of dinosaur skeletons, specimens of extinct large cats, and, most amazingly, some of the collections of insects assembled by Charles Darwin himself.
I put it to our Government (and, indeed, potential private donors) that funds be set aside for the development of the Museum of Natural History, so that it may acquire more property and resources in order to put on display these fantastic exhibits. Maybe some of the Nama properties could be put to good use in such a manner? – Yours, etc,