Northern Ireland’s culture minister has called on museum curators to give more prominence to alternative views on the origins of the universe, Ulster Scots and the Orange Order.
The DUP’s Nelson McCausland wrote to the trustees of National Museums Northern Ireland (NMNI) saying he wants a number of issues given consideration in the short term.
He asked how the Ulster Scots tradition could be recognised, the contribution of the Hamilton Montgomery Settlement, considered the most important event in Ulster Scots history, the Orange Order, the nationalist Ancient Order of Hibernians and alternative views of the beginnings of the universe.
A source close to the minister today accused museums chiefs of trying to “airbrush” history.
The origin of the universe and the different theories explaining it was previously raised by Mr McCausland’s DUP assembly colleague Mervyn Storey, who said that he wanted the views of creationists – who reject the theory of evolution and believe the universe was created by a supreme being - to be represented in the exhibitions.
Without mentioning creationism, Mr McCausland’s letter includes a request for the trustees to consider how alternative views of the universe can be explained.
But Mark Taylor, director of the Museums Association, said it was not the minister’s place to interfere.
“I have been working in museums over 20 years and I can’t recall in the UK an example of such blatant political interference,” he said. “It probably happened in eastern Europe during the Cold War but it is pretty unprecedented.”
Mr Taylor said curators had the expertise to decide on their exhibitions and accused the minister of driving a coach and horses through the principle that ministers keep away from decisions about programmes. He said museums staff tried to achieve balanced exhibitions.
Stormont Culture Committee chairman Sinn Féin’s Barry McElduff criticised Mr McCausland’s letter as “wholly unacceptable”.
“He is incapable of acting as a minister when he is so partisan. He is hiding behind the rhetoric of a shared future to pursue a narrow agenda reflecting his pet interests,” he said.