Plans for a €70m children’s science museum in Dublin have recently come under scrutiny by the Public Accounts Committee and the Office of Public Works (OPW)
The project, located at the National Concert Hall site at Earlsfort Terrace, lacks a business case and is proceeding due to legal obligations stemming from agreements made 21 years ago with Ireland’s Children’s Museum Limited.
In October 2003, the OPW signed a lease with that grouping, the formal name for the entity is Ireland’s Children’s Museum Limited, a charity incorporated in 1998, committing the OPW to construct the planned building, which would then be operated by ICML itself.
Despite the success of the existing Explorium museum in Sandyford, the ICML charity, including Ali Hewson and other prominent figures, has pressed forward with the construction of the new museum
There is controversy surrounding the project due to its escalating cost, lack of public support, and impact on the nearby Iveagh Gardens. Concerns were raised at the Public Accounts Committee regarding the necessity and the process for the museum’s construction.
