Museums & Galleries

National museums, heritage centres, and art galleries

416 places

Showing 24 of 416 places

Ulster American Folk Park

The Ulster American Folk Park is an open-air museum near Omagh, in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. With more than 30 exhibit buildings, the museum tells the story of three centuries of Irish emigration. Using costumed guides and displays of traditional crafts, the museum focuses on those who left Ulster for America in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The museum is part of National Museums Northern Ireland. Within the museum there are many restored, original buildings with connections to local families. The park was developed around the Mellon House, the birthplace of Irish-American banker and lawyer Thomas Mellon, founding father of the Mellon banking dynasty. This house and its outbuildings remain in their original location. Visitors can taste samples of traditional Irish and pioneer American foods including freshly baked soda bread and pumpkin pie all made on the hearths and griddles of the exhibit buildings. The museum also includes agricultural displays and an array of farm animals. The park is open throughout the year, excluding some public holidays.

MuseumNational Museum of Ireland, Natural History

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MuseumDublin

National Museum of Ireland, Natural History

The National Museum of Ireland – Natural History (Irish: Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann – Stair an Dúlra), sometimes called the Dead Zoo, a branch of the National Museum of Ireland, is housed on Merrion Street in Dublin, Ireland. The museum was built in 1856 for parts of the collection of the Royal Dublin Society and the building and collection were later passed to the State. The Natural History Collection comprised sub-collections for zoology, geology and botany; the geological collections have largely been held in storage from the 1960s, and the botanical collection was moved to National Botanic Gardens in 1970. However, the museum's zoological collection, and its building, have changed little since Victorian times, and it is sometimes described as a "museum of a museum" or a "stately home of death". Admission has been free of charge for decades, and attendance grew from 106,000 in 2007 to over 336,000 in 2017, and 388,000 in 2019, despite chronic staff shortages, and two of its four floors being closed since 2007. After temporary closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum closed in November 2020 for an indefinite period for major renovations, with the collections being moved over a period of around ten months, as detailed on an official museum Twitter channel. The ground floor reopened in August 2022 but will close when the main renovations commence. The work featured in a television documentary The Dead Zoo in 2022.

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MuseumLouth

Millmount Museum

Millmount is a large fortified complex situated on a great mound on the South bank of the River Boyne located in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland. The fort has played a crucial part in Drogheda's history and has been a dominant feature from Norman settlement, to Cromwell's invasion to the more recent Civil War in 1922, in which the famous Martello tower was shelled and all but destroyed. Today the complex houses the Millmount Museum which houses a wide variety of artifacts of local and national importance. The complex is Drogheda's most dominant feature, clearly visible from all parts of the town. The Martello tower is affectionately known as "The Cup and Saucer" by locals. The whole fort is a national monument and has been designated as Drogheda's Cultural Quarter.

MuseumMayo

Quiet Man Museum

The Quiet Man Cottage Museum is a museum located in Cong, County Mayo, Ireland. It is a replica of the cottage used in John Ford's 1951 film The Quiet Man starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara and Barry Fitzgerald. It is typical of the Irish cottage of the 1820s featuring a thatched roof with an emerald green half door and whitewashed facade. The ground floor of the "'White-o-Morn' Cottage" has been reproduced as an identical replica of the original Hollywood film set. Much care was taken to accurately replicate the furnishings, artifacts and costumes on display. These items include the table and chairs, and four-poster bed, so appreciated by Mary Kate Danaher, the character played by Maureen O'Hara. The museum houses a large collection of newspaper cuttings from 1951 that recount what life was like when Hollywood descended on Cong. The costumes on display were made by the same company who made the original ones for the film: O'Maille's of Galway.

MuseumWaterford

Medieval Museum

Waterford Treasures is a group of museums in and related to the city of Waterford in Ireland. It consists of four entities branded as museums (the Medieval Museum, Irish Silver Museum, Irish Museum of Time, Irish Wake Museum) and a historic building, the former Bishop's Palace, all located in adjacent, and another historic building, Reginald's Tower, which contains the Waterford Viking Museum. All these are located in the Viking Triangle. The collections includes the 14th Century Waterford Charter Roll. Associated with Waterford Treasures are a cafe, and the Epic Walking Tour and the King of the Vikings Virtual Reality Adventure.

MuseumRoscommon

Arigna Mining Experience

The Arigna Mining Experience is a centre dedicated to the coal mining history of Arigna over a period of 400 years, local geology and coal, as well as new forms of renewable energy. It is Ireland's first museum dedicated to coal mining.

MuseumMayo

National Museum of Ireland, Country Life

The National Museum of Ireland – Country Life, officially National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park from 2026, is a branch of the National Museum of Ireland. Located near Turlough village, 8 km (5.0 mi) northeast of Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland, and established in 2001, the museum is Ireland's only national museum outside Dublin. The museum exhibits the way of life of rural Irish people between 1850 and 1950, and is in the grounds of Turlough Park House. There are displays about the home, the natural environment, trades and crafts, communities, and working on the land and on water.

MuseumAntrim

Northern Ireland War Memorial

The Northern Ireland War Memorial also called NI War Memorial and War Memorial was opened in 2007 in Talbot Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It replaced an earlier building called Memorial House which was located in Waring Street on a site which was bombed during the Blitz in 1941. It contains the Home Front Exhibition and the first national memorial to the hundreds killed in the Belfast blitz, created by Carolyn Mulholland.

MuseumKerry

Kerry County Museum

Kerry County Museum (Irish: Príomh-Mhúsaem Chiarraí) is a museum located in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland. The museum is based in the Ashe Memorial Hall on Denny Street in the centre of Tralee, which had been completed in 1928 as the headquarters of both Kerry County Council and Tralee Urban District Council. After the two councils vacated the building in the 1980s, it was converted to become the County Museum, opening in 1992. The aim of the museum is to collect, record, preserve and display the material heritage of County Kerry.

MuseumDublin

Irish Museum of Modern Art

The Irish Museum of Modern Art (Irish: Áras Nua-Ealaíne na hÉireann), also known as IMMA, is Ireland's leading national institution for the collection and presentation of modern and contemporary art. It is located in Kilmainham, Dublin.

MuseumDerry/Londonderry

Seamus Heaney Homeplace

The Seamus Heaney HomePlace is an arts and literary centre in Bellaghy, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It displays the life and work of Seamus Heaney. Designed by W&M Given Architects, construction began in 2015 by contractors Brendan Loughran & Sons Ltd. It opened in late September 2016. On the site originally stood a RUC barracks. It has won multiple awards throughout its operation, and its visitors include Charles III, Liam Neeson, and various award-winning poets. It holds a permanent exhibition titled Seamus Heaney: Man and Boy, and frequently hosts different events throughout the year. It attracted 40,000 people in its first year.

GalleryNational Gallery of Ireland

GalleryDublin

National Gallery of Ireland

The National Gallery of Ireland (Irish: Gailearaí Náisiúnta na hÉireann) houses the national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on Clare Street. It was founded in 1854 and opened its doors ten years later. The gallery has an extensive, representative collection of Irish paintings and is also notable for its Italian Baroque and Dutch masters painting. The current director is Caroline Campbell.

MuseumChester Beatty Library

MuseumDublin

Chester Beatty Library

The Chester Beatty Library (Irish: Leabharlann Chester Beatty), now known as the Chester Beatty, is a museum and library in the grounds of Dublin Castle, Ireland. It was established in 1953 to house the collections of mining magnate Sir Alfred Chester Beatty. It won the European Museum of the Year award in 2002. The Chester Beatty is one of the premier sources for scholarship in both the Old and New Testaments and is home to one of the most significant collections of historical artefacts and manuscripts from all over the world. The museum also offers numerous temporary exhibitions, many of which include works of art on loan from foreign institutions and collections. The museum contains a number of priceless objects, including one of the surviving volumes of the first illustrated Life of the Prophet and the Gospel of Mani, one of the last surviving Manichaean scriptures. Many manuscripts from the Medinet Madi library are currently held at the Chester Beatty.

MuseumKilmainham Jail Museum

MuseumDublin

Kilmainham Jail Museum

Kilmainham Gaol (Irish: Príosún Chill Mhaighneann) is a former prison in Kilmainham, Dublin. Opened in the late 18th century as the County of Dublin Gaol, it is now a museum run by the Office of Public Works. Many Irish revolutionaries, including the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising (Patrick Pearse, James Connolly, Tom Clarke, Seán Mac Diarmada, Joseph Plunkett, Éamonn Ceannt, Thomas MacDonagh), were imprisoned and executed in the prison by the orders of the UK Government.

MuseumAntrim

Ulster Museum

The Ulster Museum, located in the Botanic Gardens in Belfast, has around 8,000 square metres (90,000 sq. ft.) of public display space, featuring material from the collections of fine art and applied art, archaeology, ethnography, treasures from the Spanish Armada, local history, numismatics, industrial archaeology, botany, zoology and geology. It is the largest museum in Northern Ireland, and one of the components of National Museums Northern Ireland.

MuseumLimerick

Hunt Museum

The Hunt Museum (Irish: Iarsmalann Hunt) is a museum located in the Custom House in the city of Limerick, Ireland. It holds a personal collection donated by the Hunt family, it was originally situated in the University of Limerick, before being moved to its present location in Limerick's Georgian custom house in 1997. Among the museum's collection are works by notable artists and designers such as Pablo Picasso, Jack B. Yeats, and Sybil Connolly as well as distinctive historical items such as the O'Dea Mitre and Crozier.

GalleryDublin

Royal Hibernian Academy

The Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts (RHA) is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823. Like many other Irish institutions, such as the Royal Irish Academy, the academy retained the word "Royal" after most of Ireland became independent as the Irish Free State in December 1922.

MuseumOffaly

Birr Heritage Centre

John's Hall (Irish: Halla Eoin), also known as Birr Town Hall (Irish: Halla an Bhaile Biorra) is a municipal building in John's Mall, Birr, County Offaly, Ireland. The building is currently used by the Irish Heritage School as their lecturing and exhibition venue.

MuseumKildare

Town Hall

Athy Town Hall (Irish: Halla an Bhaile Átha Í) is a municipal building in Emily Street, Athy, County Kildare, Ireland. The building accommodated the offices of Athy Urban District Council until 1985, but is now used as a heritage centre.

MuseumJames Joyce Tower and Museum

MuseumDublin

James Joyce Tower and Museum

The James Joyce Tower and Museum is a Martello tower in Sandycove, Dublin, where James Joyce spent six nights in 1904. The opening scenes of his 1922 novel Ulysses take place here, and the tower is a place of pilgrimage for Joyce enthusiasts, especially on Bloomsday. Admission is free.

MuseumClare

Ennis Abbey

Ennis Friary (Irish: Mainistir na hInse; colloquially also known as Ennis Abbey) was a Franciscan friary in the town of Ennis, County Clare, Ireland. It was established in the middle of the 13th century by the ruling O'Brien dynasty who supported it for most of its existence. Following the suppression of the monasteries in the 16th century, the friary continued to function for a while despite the loss of its lands. In the early 17th century, the buildings were handed over to the Church of Ireland as a place of worship. It was used as such until the late 19th century. After the construction of a new Church of Ireland building, the friary fell into ruin. Managed by the Office of Public Works since the late 19th century, it was formally returned to the Franciscan Order in 1969. Today the friary remains in a ruined state but is open to the public. It is a National Monument of Ireland. The Franciscan friars have moved their community to a new friary and place of worship, the Gothic Revival Church of the Immaculate Conception, nearby.

GalleryHugh Lane Gallery

GalleryDublin

Hugh Lane Gallery

The Hugh Lane Gallery, and originally the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, is an art museum operated by Dublin City Council and its wholly owned company, the Hugh Lane Gallery Trust. It is in Charlemont House (built 1763) on Parnell Square, Dublin, Ireland. Admission is free. The gallery closed September 28, 2025 for major refurbishment.

MuseumMayo

Clew Bay Heritage Centre

Clew Bay Heritage Centre is a local history museum in Westport, County Mayo, Ireland. Located in the west of the town, on the pier, it illustrates the social history and heritage of the Clew Bay area and Westport. Topics covered include Croagh Patrick, Grace O'Malley, John MacBride, Maud Gonne, the Irish War of Independence, the 1798 Rebellion and schooling in the area. The museum is located in a 19th-century stone building, once used for holding live pigs prior to transport, donated by the Harbour Board. It was founded by Westport Historical Society in 1987. Tour guides describe it as "a chaotic but engaging jumble" and "a veritable garage sale of history."

MuseumCork

Cobh Museum

The Scots Church is a former Presbyterian church in Cobh, County Cork, Ireland. It is today a museum, the Cobh Museum, which tells the history of the town.

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