National Museum of Ireland. The Archaeology Collection
Is the National Museum of Ireland Worth Visiting?
Last Saturday morning I found myself with two hours to kill between my walking tours in Dublin and I went to the National Museum on Kildare Street. I've been watching Vikings on Netflix recently and figured I'd go look at some of the real things. At the end of it, I had to rush to make my second tour on time because I got so caught up in the museum. Score: 9/10
National Museum of Ireland
The exhibits are quite humbling, it makes you realize your tiny bit in the world. Looking at 4000 year old necklaces made from leaf gold, swords that real vikings held a thousand years and even bodies dug up from our bogs, perfectly preserved ancient Irishman.
You learn so much about the history of Ireland, our progression over the last 5000 years. I left a very proud and slightly smarter Irishman.
The Guided Tour Experience
There are guided tours throughout the day and my regular readers will be sick of hearing me saying this but always take the guided tour wherever you go. I'm not saying this as a fully unpaid member of the tour guides associations ("I wouldn't want to be a member of any club that would have me", Oscar Wilde) but because it makes the experience so much better, you hear the stories behind it, you hear the passion from the guide who has dedicated their lives to this.
I did the highlights tour and it was perfect to getting my bearing in this building that has lots of different directions to go. Our expert guide gave a 45 minute flash history of Ireland as we walked around the museum.
Do the tour. It's free!
What You'll See
Most tourists queue and pay money for a quick glimpse at the Book of Kells, when tyou can spend as long as you want looking at Faddan More Psalter, its contemporary Book of Psalms that was recently dug up from a bog, and its cover is fully intact. You just find yourself looking at, imagining the hands that gripped this object right in front of you and wishing you could spend one hour talking to its owner.
Permanent Exhibitions:
- The Treasury
- Ór. Ireland's Gold
- Viking Ireland
- Prehistoric Ireland
- Medieval Ireland 1150-1550
- Kingship and Sacrifice
- Glendalough: Power, Prayer and Pilgrimage
Temporary Exhibitions Summer 2025:
- Words on the Wave: Ireland and St. Gallen in Early Medieval Europe
- Clontarf 1014: Brian Boru and the Battle for Dublin
- Ancient Egypt
- Rites of Passage at Tara
The Ardagh Chalice is something Indiana Jones would have spent a lifetime searching for and yet two kids in 1868 found it in a field. The Tara Brooch is another find from 8th century.
My favorite of all was a gold boat, look at how delicate the oars and yes, it was dug up from a bog. Thank god for the bogs of Ireland preserving everything so well.
Ironically the thing I went to the museum to see, the Viking exhibits were on the second floor and by the time I got there, I was worn out, I'd taken in so much information, I was full. I wanted to retain what I saw, so I'll go back another day. No problem, it's free! But of course, I donated money when I was there.
Practical Information
Location: Kildare Street next to the Irish Parliament
Opening Hours: Check Here. It's open late on Thursdays in the summer too.
Cost: Free. But there are donation spots where you can tap your card to donate €5. Please do this.
Guided Tours: Throughout the day. Free.
Coffee & Lunch: Go to the lovely Petit Cafe across the road. I was drawn in by their sign about being an independent coffee shop. Carol, the friendly owner, told me a lot more about the life of a coffee shop owner.
Ireland by Locals
Similar Places to Visit
Collins Barracks - Explore Ireland's evolving culture with our Decorative Arts, Design and Military History Collection, beside Dublin's River Liffey.
National Library - Next door to the archaeology museum.
Natural History Museum - The "dead zoo" on Merrion Street is closed for refurbishment.
Better than the Book of Kells
Every visitor to Ireland pays $25 for a quick look at the Book of Kells before the crowd behind you makes you move on, when the National Museum has thousands of items just as old, just as precious and you can spend all day staring at the shield an actual Viking made. For free.
The power of marketing.
I rank the museum ahead of the Book of Kells on the must see list. And I'm a proud Trinity graduate. See both if you can, but don't skip on the Museums just because they're not as good at marketing as the cash cow in Trinity.
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Ireland by Locals
Ireland by Locals
