This summer, discover Ireland's rich heritage and vibrant culture at the National Museum of Ireland. We are delighted to announce our extensive programme of free tours, workshops, and trails, offering engaging activities for all ages to enjoy across our three museum sites in Dublin and Mayo.
Don’t miss this opportunity to explore, learn, and be inspired by Ireland’s fascinating history and heritage.
Admission is free.
National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo
11.30 - 13:00 | Saturday 9 August | Adults
Get some help to research your family tree with the Mayo Genealogy Group. Find out how to get started, or get some tips and advice on taking the next steps with an existing project. Join the friendly members of the Mayo Genealogy Group from 11.30am to 1pm, on Saturday, 9 August 2025.
11:00 - 13:00 | Friday 15 August | Adults and children aged 7+
Learn a new skill this spring with the Museum Knitting and Crochet Circle! The group is meeting from 11am to 1pm on Friday, 15 August 2025.
16:00 - 19:00 | Wednesday 20 August | Adults and Children
Join the Friends of Mayo Dark Skies to celebrate the launch of the Heritage Funded Project, Community Constellations for Dark Skies at the National Museum of Ireland at Turlough Park. Enjoy live music and participate in a free, drop-in lantern making workshop with Wilderland artist, Tom Meskell, and learn about County Mayo’s progress toward becoming a Dark Sky Reserve!
19:00 - 20:00 | Saturday 23 August | All Ages
Turlough Archaeological and Heritage Society are inviting all to come along to a special evening event called 'Celebration of Turlough Tales' for National Heritage Week. The event takes place from 7pm to 8pm on Saturday 23 August in the Courtyard Workshop Room at the National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo.
13:00 - 16:00 | Sunday | 24 August | Adults and Children
Step back in time with Tom Delaney, known locally as 'Ould Crafty', as he demonstrates the age-old art of basket weaving using locally grown willow. Watch as he transforms natural materials into beautiful, functional baskets using techniques passed down through generations. A rare opportunity to learn about the heritage of rural craftsmanship in Mayo.
13:00 - 16:00 | Sunday | 24 August | Adults and Children
Join Eoin Reardon, skilled woodworker and heritage craft advocate, as he shares his passion for traditional woodworking, from hand tools to heritage joinery techniques. Eoin will showcase the beauty and precision of working with wood the old-fashioned way. This demonstration is a must-see for anyone interested in sustainable craft, local history, or simply the joy of making.
10:00 - 11:00 | Saturday 30 August | Families
Visit the National Museum of Ireland at Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo and explore the Galleries during a dedicated Quiet Hour.
14:00 - 15:30 | Every Saturday | August | All Ages
Journey back in time and marvel at the innovation and endurance of our rural ancestors through the Irish Folklife Collection. Then discover more about the life of the Fitzgerald family and the history and architectural style of Turlough Park House and Gardens.
Available during Musuem opening hours | Suitable for adults and children aged 14+
Discover a new poetry trail this summer in the museum galleries at Turlough Park for Onsight 2024/2025.
Available during Museum opening hours.
Pick up a ‘Woodland Explorer’ activity booklet from Museum reception to explore a self-guided nature trail through the grounds of Turlough Park.
Available during Museum opening hours
There are five new and challenging orienteering courses to explore on the grounds of Turlough Park. Visit the Museum Galleries to pick up a map and download the MapRun app to track your progress.
Outdoor exhibition on display throughout August
Learn about childhood in the 1950s in this charming outdoor exhibition located in the woodland playground at Turlough Park.
Available during Museum opening hours
Peadar is a Pygmy Shrew who lives at the Museum with his seven friends. Can you find their hiding spots in the Museum galleries using our fun, self-guided activity sheet?
National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7
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LATE NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: In Conversation: Exploring Travelling Culture and Craft in Ireland BOOKED OUT!
18:00 - 19:00 | Thursday 7 August | Adults
Join Oein de Bhairduain, Inclusive Histories Curator – Traveller Culture at the National Museum, and a special guest for relaxed discussion examining examples of Traveller craft and the role of the Museum in collecting and protecting Traveller culture in Ireland. BOOKING REQUIRED
11:00 - 12:00 | Friday 8 August | Children aged 4-8 years
This workshop introduces children to Mountmellick Embroidery, gives them the history of the embroidery including Australian Mountmellick. We will teach the children how to create their own design using many upcycled materials. We will have some fun facts about Mountmellick and Australia and will discuss the trip to Australia that many of the young Mountmellick lacemakers took in the 1800s. The young designers will complete their own design to take home with them.
12:30 - 13:30 | Friday 8 August | Children aged 4-8 years
This workshop introduces children to the design of their own piece of Limerick Lace and can use the Honeycomb Wizard to practice the stitches or even create new ones! We will be asking the children to use their design skills to create their own Limerick Lace design. During the design process we will discuss the history of the Lace and will do a quiz on fun facts about Limerick. The young designers will complete their own design to take home with them.
14:00 | Saturday 9 August | All Ages
Up for the match? Warm up for this year's Inter-County Senior Hurling and Football Championship Finals at Collins Barracks with a tour that explores the development and evolution of Ireland's societal and sporting past, from hair hurling balls dating from the 1500s to ladies camogie dresses from the 1960s. Explore and learn about Gaelic games, soccer, rugby, cricket and horse racing with friends and family in the National Museum's collections.
HERITAGE WEEK at Collins Barracks
Join us at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks to explore a vibrant programme of free guided tours, interactive trails and family-friendly activities from Saturday 16 to Sunday 24 August for Heritage Week 2025.
Tour Highlights Include:
- The Way We Wore – Discover how clothing reflects social change (Sat 16 August, 14:00)
- A Taste of the Past – Explore Ireland’s food and drink traditions (Sat 16 August, 15:30 )
- LGBTQIA+ Tour – Uncover hidden histories at Collins Barracks (Sun 17 August, 14:00)
- Game, Set, Match – Dive into the history of Irish sport (Sun 17 August, 15:30)
- Music Makers – Celebrate musical heritage through the museum’s collection (Sat 23 & Sun 24 of August, 14:00)
- Symbols of Ireland – Explore national identity through iconic objects (Sun 24 August, 15:30)
All tours start at Reception. No booking required, but places are limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
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Family Trail Adventure:
Pick up a free Activity Book at reception and embark on a self-guided journey through the museum’s galleries. Designed for children aged 9–13 and their families, this trail spans stories from Dublin to Donegal, Aran to Armagh.
11:00 - 13:00 | Thursday 21 August | Families
Drop into the Discovery Zone in the Dead Zoo Lab at Collins Barracks. Bring the family along and join a short activity to learn about animals you might see on your doorstep, today or in the past, and the clues they leave behind.
Throughout the month of August
This July, we're offering a range of free guided tours of the Museum's collections every week.
14:00 | Sunday 17 August | All Ages
This new guided LGBTQIA+ tour views the exhibitions through alternative lenses, bringing some hidden histories and perspectives to the fore. Focusing on objects and individuals from the 17th to the 21st century, the tour reveals a wide variety of identities, genders and sexualities along the way. This tour is not a complete or comprehensive LGBTQIA+ history of the collection at Collins Barracks, but an effort to highlight the rich diversity of lives and experiences on the island of Ireland across time.
National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
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Throughout the month of August | All Ages
Discover megalithic art in a replica passage tomb, the gold techniques of Bronze Age metalworkers through lunulae and sun discs, and the La Tène style's influence on Early Medieval artifacts like the Ardagh Chalice and the Tara Brooch.
Sunday 17 August | All Ages
This Heritage Week, the Education and Outreach Department from NMI – Archaeology will be bringing the Viking Handling Collection down to Waterford to take part in the Áonach na nDéise - Woodstown Viking Heritage Festival. There, they will be joined by Déise Medieval, Waterford City and County Council, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TVAS Archaeology, and The Discovery Programme, for a fun filled Viking Day!
14:00- 16:00 | Wednesday 20 August | Families
Take a look at Viking swords and axes used for raiding, a Viking brass scales for trading, and clothes worn by men and women who lived and settled in Viking Dublin. Take part in some relaxing colouring activities, read through our many books about archaeology, and make sure to explore the Museum's galleries afterwards.
10.30 - 12:00 | Thursday 21 August | Families
Explore the lives of Viking warriors and their swords at this drop-in workshop. Craft and decorate your own mini paper Viking sword and mark it with a secret message in Viking runes to take home with you. Afterwards, take a visit to the ‘Words on the Wave: Ireland and St. Gallen in Early Medieval Europe’ exhibition to see the recently conserved Viking sword from the River Shannon, Co. Limerick.
10:30 - 12:30 | Friday, 22 August | Adults
To mark the 135th anniversary of the opening of the Museum on Kildare Street, join this special tour, with the Royal Irish Academy, and discover the history of both institutions. The Museum opened to the public on the 29th of August 1890, following the Museum and Science Act of 1877. On opening, the archaeological collection from the Royal Irish Academy was moved to the Museum, becoming a cornerstone for the Irish Antiquities Division. On this tour, visit both institutions to discover more about their history and roles in the preservation of artefacts and manuscripts from Irish history.
14:30 - 16:30 | Friday, 29 August | Adults
To mark the 135th anniversary of the opening of the Museum on Kildare Street, join this special tour, with the Royal Irish Academy, and discover the history of both institutions. The Museum opened to the public on the 29th of August 1890, following the Museum and Science Act of 1877. On opening, the archaeological collection from the Royal Irish Academy was moved to the Museum, becoming a cornerstone for the Irish Antiquities Division. On this tour, visit both institutions to discover more about their history and roles in the preservation of artefacts and manuscripts from Irish history.
Throughout the month of August | Families 8+
See some of the most famous artefacts from the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology’s collection and learn about life from Stone Age to Medieval Ireland.
Throughout the month of August | All Ages
This tour weaves through the changes and continuity of prehistoric Ireland by using key objects from the Museum’s collection to inform us about the people and changes of each period.
Throughout the month of August | Families 7+
On this Viking Ireland Family Tour see a replica fishing boat, examine the beautiful oval brooches worn by Scandinavian women, and discover ice skates made of bone!
Every Thursday from 3 July - 4 September | All Ages
Experience the extraordinary exhibition Words on the Wave: Ireland and St. Gallen in Early Medieval Europe, open late every Thursday until 8PM. This once-in-a-lifetime showcase offers the perfect setting for a relaxed and inspiring cultural evening in the heart of the city.
Throughout the opening of Words on the Wave: Ireland and St. Gallen in Early Medieval Europe exhibition | Children Age 7+
Follow Sammy the swallow on their migration from Ireland to St. Gallen in Swizterland. Help Sammy along the way by answering the questions in the activity booklet, and discover what life was like for people the in early medieval period.
This summer, the National Museum of Ireland at Kildare Street invites you to celebrate the opening of the extraordinary new exhibition, Words on the Wave: Ireland and St Gallen in Early Medieval Europe, with an exciting programme of events for all ages.
The Dead Zoo Lab at Collins Barracks
Throughout the month of August | Dead Zoo Lab | Collins Bararcks
Drop into the Discovery Zone in the Dead Zoo Lab at Collins Barracks this August. Bring the family along and join a short activity to learn about animals you might see on your doorstep, today or in the past, and the clues they leave behind...
Top Temporary Exhibitions to see at the Museum this Summer
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The Murmur of Bees | National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo
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SWARM | National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo
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Harry Clarke’s-Stained Glass | National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7
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Beyond the Surface | National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7
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A New Form of Beauty | National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7
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GAA: People, Objects & Stories | National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7
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Words on the Wave | National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
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Glendalough: Power, Prayer and Pilgrimage | National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Browse more upcoming events at the National Museum of Ireland