Little Museum of Dublin wins major European cultural prize

The Little Museum of Dublin has won a major European prize for cultural heritage.

The museum, which was founded five years ago, is to receive a 2016 European Union prize in the Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards.

The jury described the museum in St Stephen’s Green as taking the “intangible heritage” of a city and integrating it into a story that amounts to a “ charming way of representing Dublin’s people. It is an innovative and creative approach to establishing a museum about the people’s history of a city.”

The jury also noted that the museum’s educational programme is “well thought out and offers locals the chance to really engage with their cultural heritage”.

Little Museum director Trevor White said it he felt honoured to have received the award.

“We started this museum with a simple public call for donations, and it is thrilling to see how much the museum has grown in five years,” he said.

"But that growth is the result of a collective effort - from the members of the public who donated artefacts to the collection, to our partners in Dublin City Council, the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, and members of the business community. It is a privilege for us to carry out this work, and for this work to be recognised at a European level."

The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys described the award as a "fantastic achievement. The Little Museum is one of Dublin's true gems; behind its relatively unassuming door on Stephen's Green lies a treasure trove of historical and cultural objects."