Dear Teacher,
Ready to ignite a spark in your students? As teachers and students settle well into the first term of 2026, there’s no better moment to bring learning to life. The National Museum of Ireland’s primary and post‑primary schools programme is packed with exciting new experiences—from crafting towns and creative writing to discovering Viking Ireland and the work of an archaeologist, exploring Irish identity, and stepping inside the new Dead Zoo Lab. Across our Dublin and Mayo sites, every workshop and tour is designed to inspire creativity, curiosity, and meaningful connections to the curriculum.
Don’t miss out—start planning your museum adventure today!
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What's on for Primary Schools at the National Museum of Ireland
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What's on for Post Primary Schools at the National Museum of Ireland
BOOKINGS & ENQUIRIES:
We are delighted to announce our new booking system! Teachers can now make a booking request directly through the webpage of their preferred tour or event.
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If you have any queries for the Dublin sites, please contact the Bookings Office at bookings@museum.ie
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For the National Museum of Ireland at Turlough Park, please email BookingsCountryLife@museum.ie or call (094) 90 31751.
See the full schools programme for the NATIONAL MUSEUM OF IRELAND at:
Some highlights for PRIMARY LEVEL include:
TALK & TOUR: They Walked These Hills Before Us: Ice Age Wildlife
10:00 - 11.00 or 11:30 - 12.30, Thursday, 26 February
(National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo)
Join Michael Chambers from Wild Nephin National Park for a look back at the wildlife that walked through the valleys of the Wild Nephin National Park and how the landscape has changed since the end of the last Ice Age.
ENGINEERS WEEK: Make a Town
11:30 to 12.30, Thursday 5 March
(National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo)
Design, make and keep your own classroom town! Construct buildings, make roads and paths, cut, colour and create each building and put them into your town layout!
WORKSHOP: Make Your Own St Patrick's Badge
10:00 to 11:00 or 11.30 to 12.30, Thursday 12 March
(National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo)
See how people lived in Ireland in times gone. Learn about traditional lifestyles including trades, customs, life in the home, clothing, farming and fishing.
ONSITE WORKSHOP: Safari in Silver
10:00 & 12:00 on select Thursdays in February & March!
(National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7)
In this sensory creative art & drama workshop students will be introduced to the Museum's Irish Silver collection and learn about mythical creatures of the past. After some object handling and discovering all the different animals hidden in the gallery, students will be challenged to design and create their own imaginary animal.
ONSITE WORKSHOP: If Things Could Talk
10:00 & 12:00 on select Tuesdays in February & March!
(National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7)
Explore the power of objects to tell stories about Ireland’s rich history. Working in small groups, students will develop their historical enquiry and communication skills, through hands-on, object based learning. Engaging with a selection of objects from the Museum's handling collection, students will take on the role of historians and curators to explore the different meanings that we invest in objects.
VIRTUAL TOUR: Proclaiming a Republic. The 1916 Rising
(National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7)
Join Museum Guides, Educators and Curators for an engaging, informative and thought-provoking look at a significant period in Irish history, through the Museum’s recent ‘Proclaiming a Republic’ exhibition. In this virtual tour, the speakers will focus on personal stories, in particular those of the lesser-known participants and civilians who were involved in Easter Week, as well as examining why the rebellion happened, and the immediate aftermath. Included on this page are Teachers Notes, which will guide your class through the film.
GUIDED TOUR: The Vikings in Ireland
Tuesday 10:00, 11:00 & 12:00, Wednesday 10:00, 11:00 & 12:00, Thursday 10:00, 11:00 & 12:00
(National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2)
This tours explores the three main activities of the Vikings in Ireland Raiding, Trading and Settling, with hands-on activities linked to the National Curriculum.
VIRTUAL SESSION: The Vikings in Ireland
(National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2)
Discover the amazing history of the Vikings in Ireland in this live virtual session!
GUIDED TOUR: Prehistoric Ireland - Stone Age and Bronze Age peoples
Tuesday 10:00, 11:00 & 12:00, Wednesday 10:00, 11:00 & 12:00, Thursday 10:00, 11:00 & 12:00
(National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2)
Pupils explore the Stone Age and Bronze Age through real artefacts like Mesolithic fish traps and Bronze Age swords, using the Museum’s unique collection of artefacts.
MEET & GREET: Dead Zoo Lab Explorers
10:30 & 11.45, Thursdays & Fridays - limited availability for January & February!
(The Dead Zoo Lab at Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7)
Start your Dead Zoo Lab Exploration with a Meet & Greet! Be the first to visit the newly opened Dead Zoo Lab at Collins Barracks.
SELF-GUIDED VISIT: Resources at the Dead Zoo Lab
Museum opening hours - limited availability!
(The Dead Zoo Lab at Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7)
Let the Museum and its collections capture the imagination of your pupils with a self-guided visit to the Dead Zoo Lab. Activity sheets are a great way to learn, explore and enjoy the objects and themes of the collections. Describe your favourite animal and become a wild life champion with a curriculum-linked activity sheet.
Some highlights for POST PRIMARY LEVEL include:
TALK & TOUR: They Walked These Hills Before Us: Ice Age Wildlife
10:00 - 11.00 or 11:30 - 12.30, Thursday, 26 February
(National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo)
Join Michael Chambers from Wild Nephin National Park for a look back at the wildlife that walked through the valleys of the Wild Nephin National Park and how the landscape has changed since the end of the last Ice Age.
WORKSHOP: Creative Writing: Bee Inspired!
10:00 to 13:00, Wednesday, 18 March
(National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo)
Join poet and author Terry McDonagh on this creative writing workshop. Students will explore the temporary exhibition Murmur of Bees and will be encouraged to be creative and imaginative in creating their own written piece of work based on the themes explored in the exhibition.
WORKSHOP: Traditional Buttermaking
10:00 or 11:00 - Every Thursday in May
(National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo)
Join museum educator Fiona Deacy as she discusses the origins of buttermaking in Ireland and explores the science, history, and cultural significance of dairy production. Students will get the chance to churn cream into butter using traditional methods and also gain insight into the processes our ancestors relied on.
GUIDED TOUR: Sliotars, Sashes and Symbols: Shaping Irish Identity
Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10:30, 11:30, 13:30, 14:30, Thursdays 13:30, 14:30
(National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7)
On this tour we look at how the meaning of ‘being Irish’ has evolved since 1900 through the new Changing Ireland galleries. We examine how Irish governments, organisations and ordinary people have attempted to shape national identity through language, culture, sports, and religion. Looking at how Ireland presented itself as an independent nation on the world stage, we explore how Irish identity was seen abroad. We address how issues of identity and belonging have had serious implications at home, focusing on the conflict in Northern Ireland in the second half of the 20th century. Finally, we look at what it means to be Irish today, in all its complexity.
GUIDED TOUR: Game, Set, Match: The History of Sports in Irish Society
Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10:30, 11:30, 13:30, 14:30, Thursdays 13:30, 14:30
(National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7)
From hair hurling balls dating from the 1500s to ladies camogie dresses from the 1960s, join Museum Guides on an engaging and interactive tour focuses on the development and evolution of Ireland's societal and sporting past. This tour will explore the development of a variety of sports in Ireland, including Gaelic games, soccer, rugby and horse racing. It will also place the evolution of these sports in a wider societal context, such as the concept of domestic and garrison games, social class, nationalism and independence, and gender.
VIRTUAL TOUR: Bonnets, Bandoliers and Ballot Papers
(National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7)
Join Museum Guide Sheila Robinson for an engaging, informative and thought-provoking examination of the changing roles of women at the beginning of the 20th Century. This Virtual Tour is designed for Post-Primary students of History, Politics and Society and CSPE. In this tour, Sheila will talk to Museum curators, educators and historians about political protest in Ireland, as well as campaigns for social changes within society. The tour also examines campaigns and protests of women through domestic life, war and rebellion. Students will explore key artefacts from the Museum’s collection, which tells the story of women during this period, including ‘On War Service’ badges, an ‘Irish Womens Franchise League’ banner and examples of Celtic Revival clothing.
GUIDED TOUR: Leaving Certificate History of Art
Tuesday 10am, 11am and 12pm, Wednesday 10am, 11am and 12pm, Thursday 10am, 11am and 12pm.
(National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2)
This tour is specifically designed to cover key objects that appear on the History of Art Leaving Certificate specification and can be tailored to focus on Pre-Christian Art or Insular Art.
VIRTUAL SESSION: Leaving Certificate Art History
(National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2)
You and your Leaving Cert Art Students can join Museum educators for a live online virtual session broadcast direct to your classroom.
GUIDED TOUR: The Work of the Archaeologist
Tuesday 10am, 11am and 12pm, Wednesday 10am, 11am and 12pm, Thursday 10am, 11am and 12pm.
(National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2)
This tour, for Junior Cycle and Transition Year History, will focus on the work of the archaeologist and the discipline of archaeology, through the lens of the Vikings in Ireland. This tour will support students in acquiring historical skills, conceptual understanding, and historical consciousness, as part of their curriculum requirements.
SELF GUIDED VISIT: Dead Zoo Lab
Tuesday and Wednesday Mornings at 10am, 11am and 12 noon.
(Dead Zoo Lab, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7)
Discover the Dead Zoo Lab at the National Museum of Ireland at Collins Barracks with your students in a self-guided visit. Self-guided visits are a great way for students to engage with the Museum's Natural History collections. As part of Science Week 2025 and in partnership with the Midlands Science Festival, we welcomed Transition Year students from St Mary’s Secondary School, Edenderry, to work with us and develop a new resource for exploring the Dead Zoo Lab. With the Museum's science educators and graphic designers they tested and workshopped with us on the creation of this new journal for students to use when exploring the natural history collections.
RESOURCE: My Nature Journal Coming Soon
(Dead Zoo Lab, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7)
Coming soon in 2026! We’re excited to announce My Nature Journal – a new self-guided resource for post-primary students visiting the Dead Zoo Lab at Collins Barracks.
RESOURCE: What are Natural History Scientific Collections
(Natural History online)
Discover the scientific collections of the National Museum of Ireland at Merrion Street and go behind the scenes of the Museum with talks from our Tales from the Decant Series.
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