Routes to Return

Working Towards International Repatriation

Ireland

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Overview

Ireland hasn’t been part of the United Kingdom since 1921, when Ireland gained their independence. Northern Ireland has remained within the United Kingdom. This page does not attempt to give a full overview of the complex and violent history between the British and the Irish, the legacies of which are still in many people’s memories today, but it is worth being aware of to help understand the country of Ireland.

There are currently no laws in relation to repatriation in Ireland. In June 2023, the Irish Government’s Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media announced that a new expert committee was being established to advise the Government on issues relating to the restitution and repatriation of culturally sensitive objects in Ireland. ‘The committee will undertake research into international best practice within the field of provenance research, restitution and repatriation, as well as engaging with key stakeholders to assess the scope of relevant cultural heritage collections in Ireland. The objective of the committee is to provide policy advice and prepare national guidelines to support Irish cultural institutions in dealing with objects of unknown provenance in their collections.’

There’s no definition of ‘unknown provenance’ at the moment, but one could assume it means unknown to the museum.

Amy Shakespeare

Minister Catherine Martin said:

“The restitution and repatriation of cultural heritage is a complex and sensitive issue, and one that is increasingly coming to the fore for museums worldwide. That makes it all the more important that we provide structures and guidance to support our cultural institutions in navigating this terrain. I am confident that the work of this new Advisory Committee on Restitution and Repatriation will improve our understanding of cultural artefacts whose provenance would otherwise remain unknown and foster greater international dialogue and cooperation on these issues.”

In December 2023, the Irish Repatriation Committee held its first meeting. The UK Museums Association reported that:

“Committee members include Chanté St. Clair Inglis, who is the head of collections at the National Museum of Scotland and a member of the Museums Association’s Ethics Committee.

Other members include Lynn Scarff, the director of the NMI, and Audrey Whitty, chair of the Irish Museums Association and director of the National Library of Ireland.

The committee is chaired by Donnell Deeny, the chairman of the UK Government’s Spoliation Advisory Panel and member of the Court of Arbitration for Art in The Hague.”

Final Report of the Advisory Committee on the Restitution and Repatriation of Cultural Heritage

In May 2026, the expert committee published their final report with recommendations for the Irish government. The Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan T.D., has presented the report to government and is undertaking additional consultation and planning before asking for the government’s support and implementation of the proposed national framework.

The committee made three key recommendations that would enable institutions to address repatriation:

  1. The publication of national guidance
  2. A properly supported provenance research programme
  3. The creation of an expert advisory panel to facilitate and enable repatriation

The report highlighted that Ireland are keen to position themselves at the forefront of international best practice and centre engagement and dialogue with claimant communities and communities of origin. There were seven recommendations for how to achieve this:

  1. Promote the resolution of claims through fair and due process
    • The committee recommends that claimants and collecting institutions work directly together
    • Where claims cannot be resolved directly (e.g. due to the institution being legally unable to repatriate, if the institution requires expert guidance, or if the claim has been refused by an institution) provision should be made for referral to the Restitution and Repatriation Advisory Panel of Ireland (RRAPI). The report gives an outline of the process for claimants and institutions engaging with the panel if needed.
  2. Enact legislation to support restitution, repatriation, and deaccessioning
    • Establishment of the Advisory Panel, plus the ministerial ability to approve panel recommendations
    • Enable institutions to deaccession objects in cases where they are currently unable to (e.g. for legal reasons)
  3. Implement the National Guidelines on Restitution and Repatriation (featured below)
    • The Committee have produced Ireland’s first national guidelines on repatriation which aim to translate international best practice and ethical standards into the Irish context and address Nazi-era spoliation, Ancestors, and belongings
  4. Establish a National Provenance Research Programme
    • A dedicated, state-funded programme that supports full compliance with the National Guidelines
    • Creation of a national workforce of qualified provenance researchers who are able to provide the Advisory Panel (RRAPI) with reliable, high-quality research to inform its recommendations and support institutions with limited staff resources
  5. Implement a National Cataloguing and Digitisation Programme
    • Coordinated and state-funded multi-year programme to address cataloguing backlogs in institutions
    • Encourage the digitisation and online publication of collections records
  6. Deliver National Training and Capacity Building
    • Comprehensive, well-resourced training to support: provenance research, documentation standards, legal and ethical frameworks, community engagement, trauma-informed practice, governance, claims management, and transparent decision-making protocols
    • Any institutions offering courses in museums and heritage should be supported to include modules on provenance research, cultural rights, ethical stewardship and repatriation
    • National framework for continuous professional development to ensure existing staff can maintain and deepen their expertise
    • International exchanges, residencies, and study visits to learn from international practice
  7. Develop Structures for Engagement with International Partners and Source Communities
    • Dedicated funding and logistical support for formal channels for collaboration and knowledge-sharing
    • Development of culturally sensitive pathways for return
    • Accession to the UNESCO 1970 Convention and the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention

National Guidance

Alongside their final report in May 2026, the expert committee also published Ireland’s first ever national guidance on repatriation, entitled Restitution and Repatriation: A Practical Guide for Claimants and Collecting Institutions in Ireland. The guidance stressed that ‘direct engagement between claimants and institutions seeking to reach fair, transparent, and mutually agreed outcomes will remain central to the national approach’.

Some highlights from the guidance include recommending that:

  • Institutions should make all lists and catalogues available and searchable on their website with images – checking with the community of origin first
  • Institutions should publish provenance research methodology and findings online
  • Physical and digital labels should include provenance and historical context
  • Records should be updated when new information is found
  • Collecting institutions should include an outline of how they would respond to a claim in their Collections Development Policies and make the policy available online or on request

In order to make a repatriation claim, a claim should be made formally in writing to the Director of the relevant institution. Claims can be made by:

  • Individuals
  • Communities or related organisations
  • Collecting institutions
  • Foreign states or organisations specifically designated for dealing with repatriation claims

Claims should include:

  • Identification of the Ancestor(s) and/or belonging(s)
  • Provenance history
  • Cultural significance
  • Legal or ethical basis for claim
  • Supporting documentation

The following factors will be considered by institutions to make a decision on claims:

  • The validity of the provenance evidence
  • National and institutional repatriation policies
  • The importance of the object to the claimant
  • National and international legal standards
  • The circumstances of removal
  • Public interest (including opportunities for shared custodianship or loan arrangements)

The guidance includes a template claim form on pages 78-79 to support claimants writing claims.

National Museum of Ireland

The National Museum of Ireland (NMI) is made up of four branches; Decorative Arts and History, Country Life, Natural History, and Archaeology. They have a publicly available Human Remains Policy. Within it, they write that they recognise the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and that ‘applications to repatriate Human Remains will be in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) (UN, 2007). Proposals will be submitted to the museum’s Director and passed to the NMI Board for consideration. NMI Panel on Human Remains NMI will nominate a panel of specialists to advise the NMI on applications for research, analysis, storage, collections care and ethical matters as required. The members of this panel will be recognised and experienced practitioners and academics involved in the analysis of human remains or ethical issues in relation to their study and display.’

There are no ways of searching their collections in their entirety online, so to find collections, you would have to request an inventory from the relevant curator. You can view part of the collections and find some curator lists here.

Calls for Returns to Ireland

In May 2026, Ireland’s Culture Minister Patrick O’Donovan called for former colonial powers, including England, to return Irish cultural heritage belongings that were ‘taken against the will of the people’.