Explore & Learn


The National Museum of Ireland has long been a resource for primary, second and third level students and educators, and provides a broad range of services including: guided tours; demonstrations and workshops; an information and resource service; as well as professional development courses and activities for teachers.

At the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life you can:

  • Learn through observation of original artefacts
  • Investigate how historians work to understand life, work, culture and society in the past
  • Look for evidence using primary resources, through 'discovery' learning
  • Study history, local history, art, craft and design, art history, religious knowledge, drama, geography, mathematics and science
  • Make links across a range of subjects through an integrated and cross-curricular approach to learning

Schools Programme of Activities

Each school year the Education & Outreach department produces a comprehensive programme for Primary and Post-Primary schools detailing the scheduled activities for the school year. The programme is available through the Bookings Office or you can dowload them from the box on the right.

In addition to the schools programme the Museum offers the following services:

Guided Tours:

  • Introduce the exhibitions to groups in an informative and informal manner
  • Can accommodate the varying age and ability of any group
  • Cover a wide range of themes - but tours can be tailored to suit a particular group
  • Duration: 45 minutes - 1 hour

Workshops:

  • Aim to give students opportunities to learn about the collections through a range of approaches/ disciplines including object workshops, discussion, drama, storytelling and art and crafts
  • Encourage participants to see and interact with the collections in alternative ways while introducing specific skills and techniques
  • Duration: 1 hour

Craft Demonstrations:

  • Given by skilled craftspeople who introduce students to a range of traditional crafts
  • Crafts include basket making, straw work, spinning, weaving and butter making
  • Duration: 1 hour

Advance booking is essential for guided tours, workshops, and demonstrations.

You can also download a leaflet with details of guided tours, workshops and demonstrations for groups at the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life:

Guide for groups Country LifeTP Tours Activities brochure for groups.pdf (0.87 MB, Adobe PDF)


Handling Collection

  • Workshops using the Education & Outreach handling collection are available at each site. This collection is being developed to offer further opportunities for interactive exploration of the exhibitions

Audio-Visual Presentation

  • Duration: 20 minutes

Self-Guided Visits

  • Are welcome. A resource pack is available to help teachers to prepare for the Museum visit
  • We recommend that teachers give advance notice of all visits via the Bookings Office

Traditional Games Box

  • A box of traditional yard and street games with rules and instructions is available to borrow during your visit
  • Please ask at Reception if you want to borrow the games box or pre-book by contacting the Bookings Office
  • Alternatively, a one-hour workshop can be arranged for groups of eight or more

Worksheets

  • Worksheets are available in English and Irish languages and are available from the reception desk in the Museum galleries
  • Worksheets for students of English can be provided at three different levels of language ability: elementary, pre-intermediate and intermediate

Education Resource Rooms

  • These are resource spaces on Level –2 for the public to further explore and respond to the Museum and the collections 
  • As well as providing activity and research spaces the Activity & Resource Rooms have books, handling artefacts, computers with interactive multimedia Museum programmes and limited Internet access

Courses for Teachers

  • The Education & Outreach department organises in-service courses for teachers annually

Outreach

  • Activities can be offered by prior arrangement. This is a limited service, please see the Outreach page for more information

Seirbhísí trí Ghaeilge - Services through Irish

  • Bíonn turais, ceárdlanna, seisiúin scéalaíochta agus comhrá ar siúl trí Ghaeilge ó am go ham. Tá bileoga oibre éagsúla trí Ghaeilge do pháistí 8-12 bhlian ar fáil san Ard-Mhúsaem. Tá fáilte faoi leith roimh Ghaelscoileanna agus roimh chainteoirí Gaeilge chuig an Ard-Mhúsaem. Glaoigh ar an Roinn Oideachais chun eolas breise a fháil

Language Institutes

  • The Museum welcomes group visits by Institutes that cater for students of English as a foreign language. Please contact the Bookings Office for a leaflet with guidelines for visits by Language Institutes and for samples of worksheets
 
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