Museum of Time blasts council as future of museum left in the dark
The Irish Museum of Time's advisory board said that they've been left in the dark on when the museum will reopen. Photo: Patrick Browne
The Irish Museum of Time has called on elected councillors to push for the immediate reopening of the museum, as the committee claims its future has been left in the dark by the Council’s executive management.
The museum, which is located on Greyfriars Street, has been closed on a temporary basis since January 29, 2026.
The museum is managed by Waterford Council via its charitable vehicle company, ‘Waterford Treasures DAC.’
The museum’s committee has alleged that the council provided no consultation ahead of the museum’s temporary closure, and that information around the museum’s reopening date remains unclear.
The museum’s committee said the planned relaunch was set for March 27, but the museum’s website states that entrance tickets will not be available until April 7.
The committee said that the lack of concrete information around when the museum may reopen caused a philanthropist with a potentially large-sum investment to walk away from the table.
The Museum of Time boasts a collection of different clockwork and watches from Switzerland, England, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, Russia and Japan.
The museum is located in an old Gothic-style church and opened in June 2021. It’s Waterford’s third most popular museum, behind the Medieval Museum and the Bishop’s Palace.
In 2024, the museum purchased the entire contents of an English museum, which included rare 19th-century German “Black Forest Cuckoo clocks.”
The adjoining building, Central Hall, was made available by the Council for the museum’s expansion. The expansion would also see the introduction of Council offices in the building.
At the time, Central Hall was in a dilapidated state.
The museum said the purchase of the clocks, the Central Hall’s refurbishment, display schemes, audiovisual elements, and new Council offices cost roughly €3.2 million.
The museum’s board said that the €3.2 million did not come at the expense of the Council or Waterford taxpayers.
The Board of Waterford Treasures (which is run by the Council) controls the strategic decisions of the museum, with the museum’s advisory board in charge of curatorial and tactical issues.
On January 29, Waterford Treasures decided to temporarily close the museum for renovations. The board of the museum say they received no consultation.
“We understand that the reasons for the closure are private and confidential,” said a statement from the advisory board sent to elected councillors.
“These reasons do not affect us and are none of our business.
“The official notice on the website, and the notice which has been placed on the door, suggest that the closure is required in order to complete the Central Hall extension. This is not the case from our perspective.”
The advisory board has said that the closure is nonsensical, and that the museum can operate without the Central Hall extension- where only minor work needs to be done.
“We have asked Waterford Treasures to reopen the Museum of Time, but they have declined to do so,” the statement read.
“We have also asked for a reopening date, but we have not been given one.
“Although its planned launch date was to be the 27th of March next, the Museum’s Website states that entrance tickets will not be available until the 7th of April.
“The closure of the Museum of Time, when we are just about to open the new extension, is confusing for visitors and the timing is awful.
“Incidentally, this is not the first time that Waterford Treasures management has unilaterally closed museum exhibitions without process or notice.”
The advisory board has said that a lack of concrete information regarding the reopening of the museum has caused an anonymous philanthropic investor to walk away from the table.
The board said the donation was to be done via a special Trust, with the annual bequest increasing with inflation, in perpetuity. The investor had allegedly indicated he was willing to invest in other Waterford projects.
“Unfortunately, due to the unilateral and arbitrary closure of the Museum of Time, he is now looking elsewhere in Ireland,” the museum’s board said.
The board urged democratically elected members of the council to raise the issue and push for the immediate reopening of the museum.
In a statement issued to the Waterford City and County Council said: “The Council understands that the redevelopment is expected to conclude early next month, with a public reopening planned for the end of March.
“While the temporary closure is regrettable, it will enable a significantly enhanced and expanded Museum offering. The Council, in conjunction with Waterford Treasures, remains fully committed to the Museum.
“The Council is extremely grateful to benefactors Colman Curran and David Boles for their exceptional generosity in supporting the Museum’s expansion, and to Eamonn McEneaney for his role as project manager of the redevelopment.
“While benefactor support is deeply valued, the operation of the Museum remains the responsibility of Waterford Treasures, and the Council looks forward to the reopening of what will be a high-quality, renewed Museum experience for Waterford.”
