National Museum of Ireland, Natural History

About this place

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.

Visitor Information

Admission

Free

Opening hours

off "Closed temporarily"

Accessibility

Limited

Heritage status

Protected Heritage Site

Getting There & Parking

National Museum of Ireland, Natural History is located in County Dublin, roughly 2 km (5 min drive) from Dublin. The nearest public car park is 47 m away (Free). Nearby highlights within a short drive include National Museum of Ireland, Archaeology (0.1 km away).