FREE ENTRY + select 4 free postcards from our range highlighting the many wonderful objects in each of our museums & 10% discount in the Museum Cafe. Admission to the National Museums of Ireland are free.

The National History Building is a 'cabinet-style' museum designed to showcase a wide-ranging and comprehensive zoological collection. Often described as a 'museum of a museum', its 10,000 exhibits provide a glimpse of the natural world that has delighted generations of visitors since the doors opened in 1857.

Our exhibitions have changed very little in over a century. The ground floor is dedicated to Irish animals, featuring giant deer skeletons and a variety of mammals, birds and fish. The 2nd floor of the building is laid out in the 19th century in a scientific arrangement showing animals by taxonomic group. This scheme demonstrated the diversity of animal life in an evolutionary sequence.

In April 2010 the Museum reopened after restoration works that included the reinstatement of the grand stone staircase, open to the public for the first time in decades. While Natural History was closed, the Education and Outreach Department developed two new learning spaces, including the Discovery Zone where visitors can handle taxidermy and open drawers to see what is lurking inside and our Reading Area at first floor level which is a great place to rest and settle down with a good book.

Opening Times:
Tues – Sat 10am-5pm,
Sun 2pm – 5pm
Closed Mondays, Bank Holidays, Good Friday, Christmas Day.

Facilities:
Toilets, Gift Shop, baby Changing, Wheelchair access to Ground Floor only, guide and audio tours available.

How to Get There:

By Bus:
7, 7A, 8,

By Train:
DART: Pearse Station

LUAS: Green line to St. Stephen’s Green

Email: marketing@museum.ie