National Museum of Ireland – Natural History

About the museum

The building on Merrion Street was put up in 1856 to house parts of the collection of the Royal Dublin Society and opened in 1857. It was designed by Frederick Clarendon and has a cast-iron frame with a granite and Portland stone exterior. In 1877 the institution passed into state ownership as part of the Museum of Science and Art, and today it is one of the four sites of the National Museum of Ireland.

The museum is often called a museum of a museum, because its Victorian galleries and display cases changed very little over more than a century. Its cabinets held mammals, birds, insects and marine life from Ireland and from around the world, including skeletons of the Irish giant deer, a basking shark, a dodo skeleton and whale skeletons hung from the roof. The collection as a whole is estimated at about two million specimens.

The upper galleries were closed in 2010 because they were unsafe for visitors, and the whole museum shut in 2020 so that the whale skeletons and thousands of specimens could be removed. Only the ground floor reopened, in 2022. Since 1 September 2024 the whole building has been closed for a full refurbishment that will improve accessibility, conservation and learning spaces. The museum expects the work to take several years. Meanwhile a Dead Zoo Lab at the National Museum of Ireland at Collins Barracks shows a selection of favourite specimens.

Highlights

• Victorian galleries preserved almost unchanged since 1857
• Giant Irish deer skeletons and the basking shark
• Blaschka glass models of marine animals
• Spoticus the giraffe, now shown in the Dead Zoo Lab at Collins Barracks

Founded

1857

Operated by

National Museum of Ireland

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission to all National Museum of Ireland sites is free.

Accessibility

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

The refurbishment is intended to fix long-standing accessibility problems, including lifts, internal staircases and the upper balcony areas.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit