The National Museum of Ireland has cancelled a loan to Galway's new city museum of a late 19th century Claddagh cloak because of "unacceptable" exhibition conditions.
Galway City Council has confirmed that the cloak has been collected by the National Museum of Ireland's Irish folklife division, following a brief loan.
Problems with placing ultra-violet film on the new museum's windows led to the decision to terminate the arrangement.
Ironically, the award-winning €10 million museum is built on the banks of the Claddagh, whence the cloak derives its name.
The crimson garment lined with satin was bought as one of a pair in Galway in 1896 by a father for his two girls. It was handmade by draper James Lally of Carnmore, Co Galway.
Correspondence obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by Nuacht TG4 shows that the National Museum sought readings from the case containing the garment in the Galway city building.
Galway city museum director Sarah Gillespie acknowledged on July 20th last that light levels were "higher" than "intended", and said that another board was being put in the case to give the cloak further protection from light.
On August 9th, National Museum registrar Paul Doyle at Collins Barracks, Dublin, informed Ms Gillespie by e-mail that the exhibition conditions were "not acceptable", and that the loan was being terminated.
This is the latest controversy to hit the museum since its opening was delayed last year.
First mooted in the late 1990s, it was designed by Ciarán O'Connor of the OPW and funded by Galway City Council and the EU.
