Museum sights in Dublin
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Kilmainham Gaol
If you have any desire to understand Irish history – especially the juicy bits about resistance to English rule – then a visit to this former prison is an absolute must. This threatening grey building, built between 1792 and 1795, has played a role in virtually every act of Ireland's painful path to independence.
The uprisings of 1798, 1803, 1848, 1867 and 1916 ended with the leaders' confinement here. Robert Emmet, Thomas Francis Meagher, Charles Stewart Parnell and the 1916 Easter Rising leaders were all visitors, but it was the executions in 1916 that most deeply etched the jail's name into the Irish consciousness. Of the 15 executions that took place between 3 May …
reviewed
-
B
National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History
Known colloquially as Collins Barracks, the decorative arts and history annexe of the National Museum of Ireland is housed in one of the most beautiful buildings in the whole city, built in 1704 on the orders of Queen Anne and at one time the largest military barracks in the world. At its heart is the huge central square surrounded by arcaded colonnades and blocks linked by walking bridges. While wandering about the plaza, imagine it holding up to six regiments in formation. The whole shebang is the work of Thomas Burgh (1670–1730), who also designed the Old Library in Trinity College and St Michan's Church.
Inside the imposing exterior lies a treasure trove of artefacts…
reviewed
-
C
Chester Beatty Library
The world-famous library, in the grounds of Dublin Castle, houses the collection of mining engineer Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875–1968), bequeathed to the Irish State on his death. And we're immensely grateful for Chester's patronage: spread over two floors, the breathtaking collection includes more than 20,000 manuscripts, rare books, miniature paintings, clay tablets, costumes and other objects of artistic, historical and aesthetic importance. The library runs tours at 1pm on Wednesdays and at 3pm and 4pm on Sundays.
The Artistic Traditions Gallery on the 1st floor begins with memorabilia from Beatty's life, before embarking on an exploration of the art of Mughal In…
reviewed
-
D
Dublinia & the Viking World
A must for the kids, the old Synod Hall attached to Christ Church Cathedral is home to this seemingly perennial exhibit on medieval Dublin, complete with models, music, streetscapes and interactive displays. The newly added Viking World tells the story of Dublin’s 9th- and 10th-century Scandinavian invaders and the city they built in their wake. Finally, you can climb neighbouring St Michael’s Tower for views over the city to the Dublin Hills.
reviewed
-
E
Old Jameson Distillery
Smithfield's biggest draw is this converted distillery, now a huge museum devoted to uisce beatha (the water of life). Beginning with a short film, the tour runs through the whole process of distilling, from grain to bottle. There are plenty of interesting titbits, such as what makes a single malt, where whiskey gets its colour and bouquet, and what the difference is between Irish whiskey and Scotch (other than the spelling, which prompted one Scot to comment that the Irish thought of everything: they even put an 'e' in 'whisky').
Then it's straight to the bar for a drop of the subject matter; eager drinkers can volunteer for the tasting tour, where you get to sample whisk…
reviewed
-
F
National Print Museum
You don’t have to be into printing to enjoy this quirky little museum, where personalised guided tours are offered in a delightfully casual and compelling way. First watch a video relating to printing and its place in Irish history, then take a wander amid the smell of ink and metal, and through the various antique presses that are still worked for small jobs by a couple of retired printers doing it for the love of the craft. The guides are excellent and can tailor the tours to suit your special interests – for example, anyone interested in history can get a detailed account of the difficulties encountered by the rebels of 1916 when they tried to get the proclamation prin…
reviewed
-
G
Story of Banking
The Bank of Ireland Arts Centre, which hosts a variety of cultural events, including classical concerts and regular free lunchtime recitals and poetry readings. It also screens an eight-minute film about banking and Irish history, called the Story of Banking. An exhibition features a 10kg silver-gilt mace that was made for the House of Commons and retained by the Speaker of the House when the parliament was dissolved.
It was later sold by his descendants and bought back from Christies in London by the Bank of Ireland in 1937.
reviewed
-
H
Croke Park Experience
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) considers itself not just the governing body of a bunch of Irish games but also the stout defender of a cultural identity that is ingrained in Ireland’s sense of self. To get an idea of just how important the GAA is, a visit to the Croke Park Experience is a must, though it will help if you’re any kind of sporting enthusiast. The twice-daily tours (except match days) of the impressive Cork Park stadium are excellent.
reviewed
-
I
City Hall
Fronting Dublin Castle on Lord Edward St, City Hall was built by Thomas Cooley between 1769 and 1779 as the Royal Exchange, and later became the offices of Dublin Corporation (now called Dublin City Council). It's on the site of the Lucas Coffee House and the Eagle Tavern, in which Dublin's infamous Hell Fire Club was established in 1735. Founded by Richard Parsons, Earl of Rosse, it was one of a number of gentlemen's clubs in Dublin where less-than-gentlemanly conduct took place. It gained a reputation for debauchery and black magic, but there's no evidence that such things took place.
The Story of the Capital is a multimedia exhibition in the basement, tracing the histo…
reviewed
-
J
Waterways Visitor Centre
If you absolutely must know about the construction and operation of Ireland’s canals, the bad news is that the Waterways Visitor Centre, on the Grand Canal Basin, is currently closed for renovations. But you can still admire the ‘Box on the Docks’ – as this modern building is nicknamed – from the outside (usually good enough for the average enthusiast of artificial waterways).
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Pearse Museum
This handsome Palladian mansion was home to St Enda’s, an experimental Gaelic school established by nationalist poet and 1916 martyr Pádraig Pearse. The fascinating exhibition focusing on Pearse’s life and pedagogical theories is centred on a 20-minute audio-visual show called ‘This Man Kept a School’. The beautiful grounds, gardens and grottoes surrounding the house are also worth an amble.
reviewed
-
L
National Transport Museum
A recent addition is the rather ramshackle National Transport Museum, which has a range of exhibits, including double-decker buses, a bakery van, fire engines and trams – most notably a Hill of Howth electric tram that operated from 1901 to 1959. To reach the museum, go through the castle gates and turn right just before the castle.
reviewed
-
M
Natural History Museum
In 1857 Scottish explorer Dr David Livingstone delivered the opening lecture for the wonderful and slightly creepy ‘dead zoo’ that is the Victorian natural history museum. This redoubtable building and its extraordinary collection of two million items (of which only 10,000 were on display) has recently reopened after a makeover.
reviewed
-
N
Irish-Jewish Museum
Dublin’s dwindling Jewish population is remembered through paintings, photographs, certificates, books and other memorabilia in this terrace house in the former Jewish district of Portobello. The museum recreates a typical 19th-century Dublin kosher kitchen, while upstairs is an old synagogue, in a state of disuse since the 1970s.
reviewed
-
O
Casino at Marino
It's not the roulette-wheel kind of casino but the original Italian kind, the one that means 'summer home' (it literally means 'small house'), and this particular casino is one of the most enchanting constructions in all of Ireland. Entrance is by guided tour only; the last tour is 45 minutes before closing.
It was built in the mid-18th century for the Earl of Charlemont, who returned from his grand tour of Europe with more art than he could store in his own home, Marino House, which was on the same grounds but was demolished in the 1920s. He also came home with a big love of the Palladian style – hence the architecture of this wonderful folly.
The exterior of the buildi…
reviewed
-
P
Garda Museum
Record Tower, the last remaining medieval tower in Dublin, houses the small Garda Museum, which tells the story of the various Irish police forces, beginning with the Royal Irish Constabulary, founded in 1822 by order of Robert Peel.
reviewed
-
Q
Irish Writers Centre
Next door to the Dublin Writers Museum, which focuses on the dearly departed, the Irish Writers Centre provides a meeting and working place for their living successors.
reviewed
-
R
Dublin Writers Museum
You'd think that Dublin's rich literary tradition would ensure that a museum devoted to Ireland's greatest scribblers would be a real treat. But somehow this museum is something of a damp squib, and the collection of vaguely literary ephemera associated with some of the city's most recognisable names (Samuel Beckett's phone; Brendan Behan's union card) is diminished by the museum's decision to omit living writers from its purview.
If you plan to visit the James Joyce Museum and the Shaw Birthplace, bear in mind that a combined ticket is cheaper than three separate ones.
reviewed
