National Museums Northern Ireland facts for kids
National Museums NI is a group of museums in Northern Ireland. It used to be called the National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland. This service helps people learn about history, art, science, and the culture of Northern Ireland.
National Museums NI includes four main places:
- The Ulster American Folk Park
- The Ulster Folk Museum
- The Ulster Transport Museum
- The Ulster Museum
The main office for National Museums NI is in Cultra. The Department for Communities supports it. As of 2020, about 274 people worked for National Museums NI.
Contents
Exploring the Titanic Collection
The RMS Titanic was a famous ship built in Belfast. In late August 2018, many groups wanted to buy a large collection of items from the Titanic. There were about 5,500 of these items. They belonged to a company that was having money problems.
Working Together for the Artefacts
Several museums and groups decided to work together. They formed a team to try and buy these important Titanic items. This team included the National Maritime Museum, Titanic Belfast, the Titanic Foundation Limited, and National Museums Northern Ireland. Their goal was to keep all the items together. They wanted them to be shown as one big exhibit.
Why the Titanic Items are Important
A famous ocean explorer named Robert Ballard supported this group. He believed that if they bought the items, they would be shown forever in Belfast and Greenwich. Belfast is where the Titanic was built. The museums thought the way the items were being sold was not fair.
The Auction and the Bid
The items were going to be sold at an auction on October 11, 2018. The lowest price for the items was set at US$21.5 million (which was about £16.5 million). The group of museums and foundations did not have enough money to reach this amount.
See also
In Spanish: Museos nacionales de Irlanda del Norte para niños
