National Museums Northern Ireland facts for kids
National Museums NI (which used to be called the National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland) is a group of museums in Northern Ireland. It includes the Ulster American Folk Park, the Ulster Folk Museum, the Ulster Transport Museum, and the Ulster Museum.
The main office for National Museums NI is in Cultra. The Department for Communities helps fund this service. Its goal is to share the history, art, science, and culture of the people of Northern Ireland. In 2020, National Museums NI had 274 employees.
The Titanic and Its Treasures
In late August 2018, several groups wanted to buy 5,500 items from the RMS Titanic. These items belonged to a company called Premier Exhibitions, which was going through a difficult time.
Working Together for Titanic Artefacts
Eventually, a group formed to try and buy these important items. This group included the National Maritime Museum, Titanic Belfast, Titanic Foundation Limited, and National Museums Northern Ireland. They worked together to raise money for the purchase. Their plan was to keep all 5,500 items together as one big collection.
Why Keep the Collection Together?
Robert Ballard, a famous oceanographer who explores the ocean, supported this group's effort. He wanted to make sure that the Titanic items would always be on display in Belfast (where the Titanic was built) and in Greenwich, England.
The museums were not happy with how the auction was being handled by the court in Jacksonville, Florida. The lowest price for the auction, which was set for October 11, 2018, was US$21.5 million (about £16.5 million). The group of museums did not have enough money to meet this high price.
