O Come, O Come to Collins Barracks and get into the Christmas spirit at the National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History for a special day of festive fun!
 
We will have Christmas carols with the intergenerational ‘Lassos' choir in the main reception from 2:30pm, ‘Festive Felting’ art workshop starting from 2pm, tours and seasonal artefact handling sessions throughout the day.
 
The Museum is open from 1pm until 5pm, and throughout the day you can follow our selection of activity books and trails available at reception.
 
Programme of Events
1 - 3pm
Hands-on History: Jingle Bells and Whistles!
Out of Storage Exhibition
Get a handful of history this Christmas and join Museum Educator Courtney for a holiday handling session exploring festive traditions through a selection of yuletide knickknacks and winter bric-à-bracs. 

1:30 - 2:15pm
From Barracks to Museum: An Introduction to Collins Barracks
Taking off in the Museum Reception
Join Museum guide Tóla and learn about the lives of soldiers living in the Barracks, as well as the transition from one of Europe’s oldest occupied Barracks into one of Ireland’s National Museums.

2:30 - 3pm, 3:15 - 3:45pm
The Lassus Scholars & Piccolo Lasso
Museum Reception
A seasonal performance of classic Christmas carols with The Lassus Scholars & Piccolo Lasso Choir.

2 - 4pm
Festive Felting with Gabi McGrath
Learning Resource Room
Join artist Gabi McGrath for a drop-in art workshop on wet felting. Make your own Christmas decorations inspired by seasonal traditions and winter wonders. Free of charge, limited spaces allocated on a first come, first served basis.

2:30 - 3:15pm
Eat, Drink and Be Merry! A History of Food and Drink Tour
Beginning in Main Reception
Feast your eyes on the NMI’s collections and discover some of its most famous food-related artefacts on our Eat, Drink and Be Merry tour. Join Museum guide Tóla for a tour on the history of food and drink through the collections of Collins Barracks.

3:30 - 4:15pm
Recovered Voices tour
Taking off in the Museum Reception
Join Museum guide Tóla on a tour of our Recovered Voices; Stories of the Irish at War, 1914-1915 exhibition, and learn about the lives of the Irish in WWI - from civilians on war service to Christmas in the trenches.

But wait, there’s Myrrh!
At reception, don’t forget to pick up a ‘Past and Presents’ Christmas Trail to explore the Museum, discovering more about gift giving throughout history!

There’s no booking required for guided tours, but spaces are limited and allocated on a first come, first served basis. Please contact bookings@museum.ie for more information.