1650. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport his Department’s role in relation to Marsh’s Library, including the funding provided over the past ten years. [62215/26]

The Department provides Marsh’s Library with annual operational funding. The latest support from the Department includes funding up to €451,000 for 2026. This funding assists the Library in meeting its operational costs and supports the preservation and conservation of its collections, public access, exhibitions, educational outreach and services for researchers. In 2025, the Library welcomed over 50,000 visitors in addition to supporting academic research and engagement with schools and community groups.

The annual funding relationship is underpinned by a service level agreement between the Department and the Library. This sets out agreed outcomes and provides for appropriate reporting, financial oversight and governance arrangements. The Department also maintains ongoing engagement with the Library concerning its work and future priorities. In addition to operational funding, Marsh’s Library was approved for project support under the Department’s 2025 Regional Museum Exhibition Scheme for an exhibition focusing on medieval texts.

The Department has a partnership role in oversight of governance of the Library. The 1707 Act which established the Library provided for the structure and membership of a board of trustees which (with some modifications during the eighteenth century and after Independence in 1922) remains in place to this day. Under section 63 of the National Cultural Institutions Act 1997, the Minister may, with the consent of the Governors and Guardians, appoint two persons to the Board. The current Ministerial nominees are Mr David Caird and Ms Patricia Quinn. These appointments provide additional experience in areas including finance, administration, arts management and governance. Board members receive no remuneration or expenses for their work.

The Department continue to engage with Marsh’s Library through the annual funding and governance arrangements, and to support the Library in delivering its agreed programme of work.

Marsh’s Library Funding – Annual Allocation

* Marsh’s Library received additional supplementary funding of €65,000 in 2022 in relation to increasing inflation rates and energy prices.

Regional Museum Exhibition Scheme - Funding Awarded