Limerick Museum is challenged with raising finance and making the public aware of its work and collections.
Friends of the Museum hope to rectify the lack of money through fundraising while at the same time building public awareness of the exhibits on display at the museum.
Like every museum in the country, Limerick Museum suffers from two main problems - lack of money and lack of public interest.
George Stacpoole of the Limerick Museum outlines some of the plans to promote the museum through a series of lectures and functions. Membership of Friends of the Museum costs ten pounds and two pounds for students and pensioners. There is also corporate membership for one hundred pounds. Money collected through membership goes towards the collections and promotion of the museum.
Why do you think that in the past people in this city have been so unaware of the material that is inside that building?
George Stacpoole says that there has been a general lack of promotion of the city of Limerick as a place to visit.
An exhibition of recent acquisitions is now being held and gives the people of Limerick an idea of the type of material available to view at the museum.
Many of the exhibits are of particular local interest.
One of the items on display is a factory time register from Clune's tobacco factory which closed down in 1981.
The aim is to make Limerick Musem a new type of institution with a more radical acquisitions policy.
We want to make it an alive museum.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 10 December 1982. The reporter is Michael Walsh.
