1. Museums in the construction of a diverse and inclusive society Motivations for research Theoretical basis The 'objective' museum? The influential museum

2. The Audience Perspective Leighton House Museum Installation of exhibition 'Our Community' 2007

3. Social Agency 'while no director can afford to be unaware of politics and of course few subjects are as consuming in Ireland, the active involvement of museum professionals in politics can have unfortunate consequences, not least for the professionals in question. Curators and especially directors should not meddle in politics' Director, National Museum of Ireland (Crooke, E. 2000)‏ 'concerns about impartiality are used as an excuse to avoid engaging with social issues and acknowledging that museums of all kinds – including those that make the strongest claims to neutrality – embody particular moral standpoints' Dr Richard Sandell, University of Leicester (Sandell, R. 2007)

4. Social Agency in Practice Anne Frank House, Amsterdam St Mungo's is not an objective museum. It exists explicitly to promote a set of values: respect for the diversity of human beliefs (O'Neill, M. 1995)‏

5. Museums and 'Mediascapes' 'high percentages of value are placed in museums, libraries and archives in helping respondents to understand social and political concerns' ( Usherwood et al. 2005)‏ 'Museum plays diplomatic role on psalms warning to Israel' – The Irish Times, July 2006 'A deadly lesson on refugees from the war museum' – Sunday Business Post, September 2001 'City museum returns Wounded Knee shirt to The Sioux' – Irish Independent, March 2008

6. Audience Reach of Museums 2.5 million visits to cultural and heritage sites in Dublin, 2007 (source: Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism)‏ 50,000 school visits in 2007 to main museums/galleries in Dublin (source: personal correspondence)‏