National Museum of Archaeology of Dublin

If you like History with a capital H, then the National Museum of Archaeology is for you. Located in Dublin city centre on Kildare Street, this state museum (part of the National Museum of Ireland) offers you the opportunity to travel back in time to discover the great chapters of Irish History… A unique collection of hundreds of archaeological artefacts, dating from Prehistory, the Vikings, the Middle Ages to the present day, awaits you. An exciting museum, free of charge!

Visit the National Museum of Archaeology

The historic heart of Ireland

You might as well know it right away: the National Museum of Archaeology is far from being a small museum. Quite the contrary! The National Museum of Archaeology alone has the largest archaeological collection in the whole of Ireland. So you can quickly lose track of time and spend half a day there, as you wish and discover more exciting discoveries.

The museum is visited in a precise order: it is advisable to discover it by following the direction of the walk. This will allow you to start with the wing dedicated to Prehistory, with the first men living in Ireland, and their artifacts found by researchers. Don’t miss its collection of tools and weapons, everyday objects…

All of course presented in chronological order: Mesolithic first, Neolithic second, and the Bronze Age in Ireland. Among the unmissable items, don’t miss the 2 “Peatland Men” exhibited: they are 2 men living around -300 B.C. and whose bodies have been extraordinarily well preserved, having fallen into Irish peat bogs.

Continuing upstairs, you will have the opportunity to admire an impressive collection dedicated to the Viking and medieval period. On the program, reconstitution of a Viking drakkar, exhibition of weapons of the time, a jacket naturally preserved in a peat bog… Coin, pottery, sculpted objects decorated with Celtic interlacing… Everything is there to project oneself more easily into this era.

Then go to the ground floor, where the collection known as the “Treasure” is held. This is where the most beautiful objects and works of Irish art are on display. Here you will find the famous Tara Brooch, a brooch dating from the Irish Middle Ages and one of the finest examples of brooches of the time.

Don’t miss either a small gold boat with finely carved oars, or the illuminated and calligraphied Gospels from the 14th century… Each object deserves that one stops there and discovers the associated explanations.

Finally, don’t miss :

• The Chalice of Ardagh (8th century) which is a silver, gold, enamel and bronze goblet set with gemstones.
• The Broighter’s Treasure

The museum is grandiose, modern and very pleasant. It is easy to get around, even if the flow of visitors is usually quite dense.

Don’t miss its shop before you go out: books and souvenir gifts are waiting for you (jewellery, T-shirts…etc).

So much more to discover...