8.8 The loss of a number of the items was discovered in October 2012 following the
appearance in an auction of two paintings that were recognised by Department staff as being among the items that had been placed in private storage. A valuation conducted
on behalf of the Department in 1999 estimated the value of each of these paintings at around €32,000.
8.9
Following the discovery of the loss, the items held in private storage were examined by the Department. That examination found that 39 items, including all 26 paintings, were
missing. The total v alue of the 39 items is €552,000. The Department reported the loss
to An Garda Síochána and to the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General. A Garda investigation has been ongoing since 2012. Details of items recovered were
requested as part of this examination. The Department stated that, on the advice of An Garda Síochána, it was not in a position to provide this information.
8.10 Following the discovery of the losses, all other Killarney House items that were in
private storage were relocated to the Department’s storage facility at the Collections
Resource Centre.
Focus of this Examination
8.11 On foot of the results of internal audit reviews and reported incidents of loss, this
examination was undertaken to review policies, practices and procedures in place in the Department and in the OPW for the control and management of movable heritage
assets. In particular, the examination focused on
documented policies in relation to collections
procedures for acquisition, disposal and lending of heritage assets
recording and cataloguing of heritage assets
collection care, including inventory checking and condition monitoring, and disaster planning.
8.12 Five locations were selected for examination to test those procedures. Four locations
examined are managed by the OPW – Emo Court, Farmleigh House, Glebe Gallery,
and Kilkenny Castle. The remaining site visited was Glenveagh Castle, which is managed by the Department.
8.13 Controls in place at the Department
’s storage facility in the Collections Resource Centre were also reviewed.
1
Records of the National Monuments Service and the Archaeological Survey of Ireland are stored at this facility. Access to those records is
provided to researchers by advance appointment. In addition, artefacts found on excavations are stored temporarily pending cataloguing, completion of reports and
onward transfer to the National Museum of Ireland.
Museum Standards Programme for Ireland
8.14 The
Heritage Council’s museum standards programme for Ireland aims to benchmark and raise professional standards in not-for-profit museums, galleries and collecting
agencies. The programme provides a set of minimum standards to be achieved relating to the control, care and management of museums and their collections. There are 34
standards in the programme. Interim accreditation can be achieved when the first 25 standards are reached. Those working towards interim accreditation are considered to
be participating in the programme.
1 The Department occupies some 14 of the space in the
facility.
8.15 Figure 8.1 sets out the historic properties under the control of the OPW and the
Kategori