The natural history museum, famous for a collection of rare and unusual artefacts, is about to get some more.
Or so some wags would have it - with the news that Senators are to be moved out of Leinster House into a building best known for fossils and stuffed animals.
The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission was yesterday told that much of the Leinster House building will have to close for at least a year for urgent repairs.
The Seanad chamber must close from June, according to proposals put forward by the Office of Public Works (OPW) to the commission, chaired by Ceann Comhairle John O'Donoghue.
While Leinster House is heading for trouble, the natural history museum ran into difficulties itself in July last year when a limestone staircase collapsed, injuring 11 people, some seriously. Despite the collapse, however, the ground floor of the museum is available to house the Senators' chamber, sources with knowledge of the architects' briefings told The Irish Times last night.
Many journalists who used to occupy three rooms on the top floor of the main Leinster House building have already moved to offices on Molesworth Street because of concerns that the floors were not safe.
However, many others in the building, which was built between 1745 and 1747, are now set also to have to move to temporary offices on the Leinster House grounds, commission members were told.
OPW officials told the meeting the work could be carried out on a phased basis over three years, but this would be more costly and disruptive in the long term.
An investigation by engineers employed by the OPW last year found that many of the floors are carrying two to three times the weight that they should to comply with health and safety rules.
Numerous historic architectural treasures, including moulded ceilings, are in danger from any further deterioration in the building's condition.
"Work has had to be done here on a rushed basis over the years. Get everything done before the TDs get back. Holes were blown through walls. None of it helps an old building," said one Leinster House official.
The arrival of the members of the upper house is not expected to delay the restoration of the natural history museum, whose difficulties prompted all State buildings in the Merrion Street area to be thoroughly checked.
The director of the museum, Pat Wallace, has already said that it could take until late 2009 before the OPW could get contractors to begin work, after which it would take two years to complete.
