The National Museum of Archaeology of Dublin

If you love history with a capital H, then the National Museum of Archaeology is for you. Located in Dublin city center on Kildare Street, this state museum (part of the National Museum of Ireland) takes you on a journey through time to discover the great chapters of Irish history… A unique collection awaits you: hundreds of archaeological objects, dating from prehistory, the Vikings, the Middle Ages to the present day. A fascinating museum, and a free one at that!

Visit the National Museum of Archaeology

The historic heart of Ireland

Let’s face it: the National Museum of Archaeology is no small museum. On the contrary! The latter is home to the largest archaeological collection in Ireland. You can quickly lose track of time and spend half a day here, discovering new and exciting things as you go.

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

All, of course, presented in chronological order: first the Mesolithic, then the Neolithic, and finally the Bronze Age in Ireland. Among the must-sees, don’t miss the 2 “Bog Men” on display: these are 2 men living around -300 BC. Their bodies are extraordinarily well preserved, having fallen into Irish peat bogs.

Continuing upstairs, you can admire an impressive collection dedicated to Viking and medieval times. On the program: reconstruction of a Viking longship, display of weapons from the period, a jacket preserved naturally in a peat bog… Coins, pottery, carved objects adorned with Celtic interlacing… It’s all there to help you project yourself more easily into this era.

Then head for the first floor, where you’ll find the collection known as the “Treasure”. This is where you’ll find the finest objects and works of Irish art. Here you’ll find the famous Tara Brooch, a brooch dating back to the Irish Middle Ages and one of the finest examples of a brooch of the period.

And don’t miss a small gold boat with finely carved oars, or illuminated, hand-calligraphed Gospels from the 14th century… Each object deserves to be studied and explained.

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