The Natural History Museum may be closed for as long as four years for refurbishment following the collapse of a staircase earlier this year, it has emerged.
Director of the National Museum Pat Wallace admitted today it may take up to two years before the Office of Public Works (OPW) can get contractors on site to start the crucial revamp and that the job may take a further two.
Mary Upton, Labour Party
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Mr Wallace said he would be "pleased enough" to get contractors in to start the major job within two years and that the timeframe involved was necessary in order to get the job done.
"The building [dates from] 1856. The building is very tired. We need, without affecting the overall ambience of the place, to get it back at its best," he said.
Mr Wallace said that after the staircase collapsed in July, it made sense to close it at that stage and to proceed with a "fairly ambitious" refurbishment plan that had already been in the pipeline.
He had decided to go ahead with the full job rather than open the museum and have to close it again within a short time.
There was no start date for the refurbishment, but the "embryo" plans had been prepared by OPW architects, Mr Wallace said.
The plan would address the lack of proper toilets and a lift and it was also hoped to add an educational reception area,
Labour Party arts spokeswoman Mary Upton, who received information about the museum closure in response to a parliamentary question, said the refurbishment was welcome but that four years was a "very long time".
"I would urge Mr Wallace to consider the possibility of displaying some of the many wonderful exhibits, on a temporary basis, in one or more of the other National Museum facilities," she said.
Some 108,000 people visited the Natural History Museum up to July 5 th, when a limestone staircase collapsed injuring 11 people.