Hunt Museum

About the museum

The Hunt Museum is built around the collection assembled by John Durell (Jack) Hunt and his wife Gertrude, who began collecting in the 1930s by buying and selling art and antiques across Europe. In 1940 they moved to Lough Gur in County Limerick, where Jack worked as an amateur archaeologist and gathered prehistoric finds, and in 1954 they moved to Dublin.

The couple offered their collection to the Irish state, which declined it. The Hunt Museum Trust was founded in 1974 to hold the collection, together with the restored sixteenth-century tower house at Craggaunowen, in trust for the people of Ireland. A public and private partnership, including the University of Limerick, later secured the eighteenth-century Custom House in the city and the funds to restore it as a museum.

The museum opened in the Custom House in 1996 and was officially inaugurated on 14 February 1997 by the Taoiseach, John Bruton. The Hunts' adopted son John Hunt Junior ran and developed it until his death in 2004. Today the collection of about 2,500 objects covers roughly five thousand years, from prehistoric finds from Lough Gur to medieval statues, tapestries and pottery and modern art. A café, a gift shop and a garden with a sculpture trail complete the visit.

Highlights

• About 2,500 objects spanning some 5,000 years, from the Neolithic to the present
• Works by Picasso, Renoir and Jack B. Yeats, including An Atlantic Drive
• Prehistoric finds from Lough Gur and medieval statues, tapestries and pottery
• Museum in a Garden with a sculpture trail and garden games
• The Hunt Café on the ground floor

Permanent exhibitions

• The Hunt Collection – About 2,500 objects from the Neolithic to the present, including prehistoric finds, medieval statues and tapestries and works by Picasso, Renoir and Jack B. Yeats.
• Museum in a Garden – An outdoor space with a sculpture trail and garden games next to the museum.

Founded

1978

Operated by

Hunt Museum Ltd

Admission & discounts

School groups should email the museum for rates.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

A wheelchair-accessible toilet with baby changing is on the lower ground floor; there is no Changing Places toilet. Two disabled parking spaces at the rear of the museum can be requested when booking. Registered service dogs are welcome with a recognised photo ID card at reception. The museum offers a sensory room, a sensory map, an autism charter, a visual story and the NaviLens app for visitors with sight loss, and a wheelchair user guide is available on the website. Low benches are provided in the main galleries.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Baby changing facilities

Discovery trails for children are available, and the Museum in a Garden has a sculpture trail and garden games. Under 16s enter free with an adult. Baby changing is on the lower ground floor.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The Hunt Café on the ground floor serves breakfast, lunch and coffee. The gift shop sells Irish gifts, toys, souvenirs, books and jewellery inspired by the collection.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

The Captains Room, the Library and the Café can be hired for weddings, corporate events and charitable events.

Plan your visit