A total of five grants were awarded in 2026:

• Maya Anton

For research travel to UK museums, exploring best practice for neurodivergent access to the museum space for all ages, with the aim of creating a set of guidelines for Irish museums. 

Maya is a PhD candidate working under the title “The Current State of Neurodivergent Accessibility in Museums and its Improvement Through the Inclusion of Neurodivergent Voices”. They have a BA in Anthropology and an MA in Museum Studies from University College Cork. They are dedicated to the improvement of accessibility in museums as they hope for museums to remain enjoyable for all.

Project Summary: In the museum sector, accessibility for neurodivergent people takes a back seat, and when it is present in a museum it is generally only aimed at, or caters to, autistic children specifically (Anton 2024). This disregards the fact that neurodiversity is an umbrella term which covers various conditions and disorders, including (but not limited to) autism spectrum disorder/conditions (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and that neurodivergence is not limited to children. By not making spaces that can accommodate neurodivergent adults, we are discouraging them from visiting museums, which should be accessible to all. This research will build on the dissertation they completed within their masters which served as a basis for the article they published on the topic; ‘The Current State of Neurodivergent Accessibility in Irish Museums and its Potential Development’ in the journal Museum Ireland 30 (2024, 78-84). Critically, the research will investigate what neurodivergent accessibility options are most effective and would be best to introduce in museums more widely. To do this it will be imperative to conduct research into the experiences and opinions of neurodivergent adults regarding the available access options in museums. The project will also involve the input of museum professionals who are leading in the area of accessibility. Key museums in Ireland and the UK will also be visited as part of the project to test their neurodivergent accessibility options. The outcome of this research will be the creation of an effective framework for museums to use for the improvement of neurodivergent accessibility to their sites.

• Darren Campio

For a curatorial research trip to the Triennial of Photography Hamburg, supporting engagement with contemporary photographic practice, curatorial methodologies, and international partnership-building relevant to the Irish photography sector.

Darren is Curator at Photo Museum Ireland, Dublin, where he develops exhibitions and research focused on contemporary photography and visual culture. He has co-curated major survey exhibitions including The Politics of Place, Photography & the Social Gaze, and No Place Like Home: The Domestic in Irish Photography. In 2024 he curated Skin / Deep: Perspectives on the Body, an exhibition exploring embodied experience and photographic practices through the work of contemporary artists.

Darren’s project centres on a research visit to the Triennial of Photography Hamburg, one of Europe’s leading festivals of contemporary photography. The research will explore innovative and expanded photographic practices, emerging curatorial approaches, and exhibition strategies, while fostering international connections and knowledge exchange. Insights from the trip will help shape future exhibitions and contribute new perspectives and ideas to Ireland’s photography and museum sector.

• Katie Foley

For participation in online training courses, supporting specialist training in curatorial writing and exhibition design, alongside research visits to peer institutions. 

Katie is Acting Assistant Keeper, Grade II, Exhibitions at the National Library of Ireland, and was a member of the NLI’s Learning & Programming team for several years. Prior to this, Katie worked in public engagement, audience development, and project management roles with a variety of cultural organisations, including the Gate Theatre and the National Museum of Ireland. Katie holds qualifications in Arts Management & Cultural Policy (UCD), Set and Costume Design (The Lir Academy, TCD), History of Art & Architecture (UCD), and Visual Arts (New Orleans Centre for the Creative Arts).

Project:  Having recently moved to the Exhibitions team at the NLI, Katie is delighted with the opportunity to upskill in this new career area through the grant. Katie will participate in recognised online courses, with specialist training in curatorial writing and exhibition planning. The grant will also allow Katie to strengthen her approach to curation through visits to peer institutions in the UK. Given the NLI’s redevelopment of its historic Victorian bookstores into a multistorey visitor space, the visits will also provide an opportunity to gather insights from peer institutions in relation to this.

• Karen Heaney

For comparative research and cross-border museum study visits, examining approaches to interpreting workhouse, famine, and emigration histories, with a focus on storytelling techniques, digital engagement, trauma-aware practice and accessibility.

Karen is Museums Development Officer at Limavady Workhouse Museum. She previously led the Binvenagh and Coastal Lowlands Landscape Partnership-funded community project where she directed volunteers in researching, digitising and cataloguing the museum’s archives, then curated the resulting exhibition showcasing 180 years of the building’s history. Karen completed her MA in Museum Management and Practice (distance learning) through Ulster University whilst undertaking this project. She now leads the museum’s development initiatives. 

Karen’s research project develops evidence-based insights into interpreting workhouse, famine, and emigration histories across Irish museums. Through comparative study of eight institutions and archival research, the project seeks to identify best practice in storytelling, digital engagement, trauma-aware interpretation, and accessibility. The open access report will provide actionable recommendations for heritage organisations, support Limavady Workhouse Museum’s development as a centre of excellence, and contribute to sector-wide improvement in how difficult histories are interpreted and shared.

• Jacqueline Toal

For study visits and conference attendance to support an investigation into Irish textile heritage through museum collections, archives, and heritage sites, uncovering women’s unrecorded histories and supporting the development of participatory and immersive digital practice.

Jacqueline is lecturer in Immersive Technologies at Dundalk Institute of Technology with over 23 years in education, an artist and has a background in printed textiles, swimwear, interiors and screen printing. She is a PhD researcher at Lancaster University exploring feminist pedagogy, critical heritage studies, Irish textile heritage, and coproduction with young women through participatory arts and immersive technologies.

Project – ImmerseHer explores how participatory arts practices using immersive digital technologies can support young women aged 16–25 in engaging with Irish textile and fashion heritage — including linen, lace and embroidery motifs — while developing digital skills and creative agency. The project enables the researcher to explore Irish archives, Irish textile patterns and museum collections, examining the role of women in Ireland’s textile industry and how this heritage connects to young women’s identities today. Through coproduction and participatory arts, four intensive crossborder bootcamps will be delivered North and South, using screenprinted textiles with augmented reality, 360° filming, photogrammetry, 3D scanning of heritage environments, digital fashion inspired by historic garments and virtual worldbuilding. Participants will cocreate artefacts that reclaim and reimagine Irish textile traditions, becoming active authors of their own cultural heritage while deepening social, relational and embodied XR learning.  This work contributes to pedagogies and policy supporting heritage and communityled education, drawing on feminist pedagogy, critical heritage and gender studies, and youthled approaches to intangible heritage preservation.