Decorative Arts & History
Booking required
Collins Barracks,
Dublin 7
Latest Highlights
We are open once again to the public. Before your visit, please read our latest COVID-19 visitor information.
From the world of wasps to megalithic rock art - see what's on at the Museum for National Heritage Week 2021
Get some great gift ideas and explore products inspired by our Collections and exhibitions.
Not ready to visit us just yet? Why not enjoy a virtual visit instead with this selection of online resources, tours and exhibitions.
Current Exhibitions
Take time to explore our variety of exhibitions
20th Century History of Ireland
Decorative Arts & History
Exhibition / Opening 2023
Exploring 120 years of contemporary Irish history
InForm
Decorative Arts & History
Exhibition / Temporary Exhibition
Ceramics and Jewellery inspired by the Museum collections
Irish Wars 1919 to 1923
Decorative Arts & History
Exhibition / Permanent Exhibition
Irish Wars 1919 – 1923 forms part of the permanent exhibition ‘Soldiers and Chiefs’, but it has been substantially reimagined as part of the Museum’s Decade of Centenaries Commemorations
Alison Lowry: (A)Dressing Our Hidden Truths
Decorative Arts & History
Exhibition / December 2021
An artistic response to the legacy of mother and baby homes and Magdalene laundries by Alison Lowry
A Dubliner’s Collection of Asian Art: The Albert Bender Exhibition
Decorative Arts & History
Exhibition / Permanent exhibition
Learn about the Museum's Asian art collection and its donor, Irish-American, Albert Bender
A Forgotten Polish Hero of the Great Irish Famine
Country Life
Exhibition /
Paul Strzelecki’s Struggle to Save Thousands
Crown beoir
Country Life
Exhibition / Exhibition/Online gallery
A Courtyard Gallery exhibition
Cycling the Country
Country Life
Exhibition / Permanent exhibition
Exploring the importance of the bicycle in rural life in the Ireland
Polish Folk Art - Beliefs, Colour and Symbols
Country Life
Exhibition / Temporary exhibition
An exhibition of Polish folk art curated by Bardzo Ladnie Foundation
Wooden Architecture Świdermajer Style
Country Life
Exhibition / Temporary exhibition
An exhibition about the unique wooden villas of Otwock - a small town in the heart of Poland
Irish Fauna
Natural History
Exhibition / Permanent exhibition
Discover examples of Ireland's insects, mammals, birds, sea life and predators.
Mammals of the World
Natural History
Exhibition / Permanent exhibition
Discover skeletons and stuffed specimens of non-Irish animal species, from elephants to whales
Glendalough: Power, Prayer and Pilgrimage
Archaeology
Exhibition / Now open
Making places with objects
Viking Ireland
Archaeology
Exhibition / Permanent Exhibition
Explore the Vikings and how they changed Ireland between 800 and 1150 AD.
The Treasury
Archaeology
Exhibition / Permanent Exhibition
See major religious artefacts of Celtic and Early Christian Ireland
Ór - Ireland's Gold
Archaeology
Exhibition / Permanent Exhibition
Explore one of Europe's most important prehistoric gold collections
Kingship and Sacrifice
Archaeology
Exhibition / Permanent Exhibition
An exhibition of Iron Age bog bodies and their sacrificial regalia.
Online Events
Discover something new with our online events
Keum Boo Demonstration with Eve Doyle
Decorative Arts & History
Event / 7 Aug 2021 - 30 Sep 2021
Join jewellery designer and goldsmith Eve Doyle who will demonstrate the Korean technique, Keum Boo.
Meet the Makers InForm Exhibition
Decorative Arts & History
Event / 8 Aug 2021
In this pre-recorded talk, four of the ceramic creators involved in the InForm exhibition.
In Conversation with the Curator and Makers of InForm
Decorative Arts & History
Event / 20 Aug 2021
In partnership with the Design & Crafts Council Ireland we will be hosting a live event via Zoom as part of the exhibition, InForm.
Meet the Makers InForm Exhibition
Decorative Arts & History
Event / 22 Aug 2021
In this pre-recorded talk, four of the jewellery creators involved in the InForm exhibition speak about their creative process.
InForm Exhibition Introductory Tour
Decorative Arts & History
Event / 9 Sep 2021 - 30 Sep 2021
Explore the new exhibition, InForm in this pre-recorded tour. Led by InForm curator Dr. Edith Andrees, graduate students and tutors and other key member of the exhibition team.
HERITAGE WEEK: Fairy Trail
Country Life
Event / 14 Aug 2021 - 22 Aug 2021
Can you find the fairy dwellings in the grounds of the Museum? Have fun on this fairy trail and learn some tree folklore along the way.
HERITAGE WEEK: Greenway day out
Country Life
Event / 14 Aug 2021 - 22 Aug 2021
Combine a visit to the National Museum of Ireland with a greenway cycle for a great day out.
HERITAGE WEEK: Nature Tours of Turlough Park
Country Life
Event / 14 Aug 2021 - 22 Aug 2021
Join one of our new nature tours of Turlough Park to celebrate Heritage Week 2021
Nature Heroes: Meet the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group
Natural History
Event / 13 Aug 2021
Meet a "Nature Hero" and learn about whales, dolphins and sharks at this fun, family event.
Tales from the Decant: The Weird World of Ireland’s Stinging Wasps
Natural History
Event / 19 Aug 2021
Join Curator, Aidan O'Hanlon, to learn about the weird world of Ireland's stinging wasps.
WATCH BACK: Cool Fossils & Hot (Climate) Facts!
Natural History
Event / 22 Apr 2022
Watch back a special Primary Schools event from Earth Day 2021 with the National Museum of Ireland – Natural History and the Rediscovery Centre.
Online Activity: The Stone Age
Archaeology
Event / 6 Aug 2021 - 3 Sep 2021
Download, print out and use our newly created activity sheets about the Stone Age in Ireland
Online Family Workshop: Megalithic Rock Art
Archaeology
Event / 18 Aug 2021
Join in our special live family workshop to discover more about megalithic art on Ireland's passage tombs
Climate Change Lecture Series: The CHERISH project; Understanding climate change impacts on our coastal cultural heritage
Archaeology
Event / 20 Aug 2021
This is the fourth of a series of four lectures on Climate Change in Archaeology hosted by the National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology