National Print Museum

About the museum

The National Print Museum was founded by members of the printing industry, led by Sean Galavan, and was officially opened by Mary Robinson in April 1996. It is housed in the Old Garrison Chapel at Beggars Bush Barracks in Dublin and is the only museum on the island of Ireland dedicated to the story of letterpress printing.

It acts as custodian of the national collection of printing heritage. The collection is a working one: the museum gathers machines and tools from the printing industry and tries to keep each of them in working order, so that traditional skills are preserved. The presses range from hand-operated iron presses of the 1830s to cylinder presses such as the Wharfedale, the type of machine used to print the Proclamation of the Irish Republic in 1916. The museum also holds a large amount of printing blocks, wood and metal type, ephemera, photographs and books.

Visitors can browse the displays on their own with self-guided booklets or join an interactive guided or demonstration tour. The museum also runs workshops in letterpress, linocut, woodblock printing, calligraphy and bookbinding, school programmes and changing exhibitions on a mezzanine. In 2019 letterpress printing was added to Ireland's National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage after an application by the museum.

Highlights

• Working letterpress presses from the 1830s onwards, including a Wharfedale cylinder press
• Linotype and Monotype typesetting machines
• Interactive guided tours and demonstration tours
• Creative Corner and PrintLab workshops for children
• Print Shop with letterpress prints made in the museum, and the Press Café

Permanent exhibition

• The Collection – A working collection of letterpress machinery, including hand presses from the 1830s, a Wharfedale cylinder press, Linotype and Monotype typesetters, printing blocks and type.

Founded

1996

Operated by

National Print Museum (registered charity)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

General admission is free, and donations are welcome. Guided tours, demonstration tours and workshops are charged separately. Private group tours need about two weeks’ notice.

Accessibility

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

The ground floor is fully accessible, but the mezzanine with the temporary exhibition space and Creative Corner is not. Entry is through the café at the rear, and there is a drop-off point outside the entrance. All toilets are on the ground floor, including a universally accessible toilet with a baby changing table. Early-week mornings are usually quieter, machines can be noisy during demonstrations, and staff are autism aware and trained in the JAM card scheme. Large-print booklets are at the entrance, subtitles in Irish and English are shown on audio-visual displays, and tours including object handling can be arranged for visually impaired groups with advance notice. Fold-out chairs are available on request.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities
• Kids’ birthday parties

Family-friendly tours let children set their own name in type, print a poster and make a printer’s hat, and run daily in school holidays and summer. The Creative Corner on the mezzanine is a free space with crafts, activity sheets and a junior library. PrintLab workshops are offered for ages 4 to 12 during school breaks, and birthday activity tours are available for ages 6 to 12. There is no dedicated buggy storage, but there is often space outside by the bicycle stands or inside behind the stairs.

Getting there & parking

Enter the barracks through the main archway on Haddington Road, turn right and follow the footpath to the back right-hand corner. Covered bicycle stands are to the right of the entrance door.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Press Café is an independent café attached to the museum in a south-facing conservatory, serving homemade food and coffee, with a brunch menu at weekends; it is pet friendly. The Print Shop sells letterpress prints made at the museum and books on print and design history. A free book-exchange bench stands outside the entrance.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 200 guests.

The space is offered for book launches, live music and networking events and can hold up to 200 people. Catering is provided by Press Café, and bespoke printed keepsakes or live machine demonstrations can be added.

Plan your visit