Explore, Learn, Discover: Plan Your School’s Spring Visit to the National Museum of Ireland

The National Museum of Ireland is delighted to launch its latest programme of guided tours, workshops and resources for primary and post primary schools for the spring term. 

Available from January 2025, the programme has a diverse range of virtual and onsite activities, designed to complement the primary and post primary curricula. All activities are offered free of charge to schools. 

• What's on for Primary Schools at the National Museum of Ireland 

• What's on for Post Primary Schools at the National Museum of Ireland 

Schools can visit three Museum sites in Dublin and Mayo this year. Click on a location below to see what is on offer at each Museum.  

The National Museum of Ireland located at Merrion Street, also known as the 'Dead Zoo', closed on 2 September 2024, so a school visit is not possible at this location. However, teachers can still book a virtual session for your school and explore the fascinating Natural History Collections through a range of classroom activities and resources.

BOOKINGS & ENQUIRIES: 

• To book a visit to one of our Dublin Museums, submit a Schools Enquiry Form and our Bookings Office will get back to you regarding availability for your chosen session. You can also email bookings@museum.ie or call (01) 648 6453.

• Enquiries regarding Bookings for Turlough Park can be directed to BookingsCountryLife@museum.ie or (094) 90 31751.

See the full schools programme for the NATIONAL MUSEUM OF IRELAND at:

• National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo

• National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin 7

• National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2

• National Museum of Ireland, Merrion Street, Dublin 2

Some highlights for PRIMARY LEVEL include:

WORKSHOP: Make your own St Brigid's Cross
(National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo) 
Learn about St. Brigid’s Day history, customs, and traditions. Explore our cross collection and join the Education Team to make your own St. Brigid's Cross. FIND OUT MORE

WORKSHOP: Bumbly Wings and Crawly Things
(National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo) 
Join a fun, biodiversity-themed workshop inspired by the Murmur of Bees exhibition. After a brief introduction, create and paint cardboard insects with artist Cas McCarthy for a community art installation. FIND OUT MORE

Engineers Week: Make a Town
(National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo) 
Design, make and keep your own classroom town. Construct buildings, make roads and paths, cut, colour and create each building and put them into your town layout! FIND OUT MORE

GUIDED TOUR: Seasonal Nature Tours
(National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo)
Join a seasonal woodland walk to explore nature and biodiversity, identify trees year-round, and discover local plants, animals, and conservation tips. FIND OUT MORE

GUIDED TOUR BUNDLE: Continuity & Change Over the Centuries
(National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7)
Students explore how fashions in clothing and food have developed over time, revealing the fascinating insights that objects can teach us about everyday life and culture in 18th and 19th century Irish society. FIND OUT MORE

GUIDED TOUR: Stories from Soldiers and Chiefs: The Irish at War 1798-1916
(National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7)
Learn about the stories of the ordinary men and women told through the exhibition Soldiers and Chiefs - The Irish at War at Home and Abroad from 1550 to the present day. FIND OUT MORE

WORKSHOP: Safari in Silver
(National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7)
In this sensory creative art & drama workshop students will be introduced to the Museum's Irish Silver collection and learn about mythical creatures of the past. After some object handling and discovering all the different animals hidden in the gallery, students will be challenged to design and create their own imaginary animal. FIND OUT MORE

VIRTUAL SESSION: Tales of the Dead Zoo
(Natural History online)
What secrets of the past and present are held in the collections and why are they important for the future? Discover tales of the Dead Zoo during a live virtual session, led by a Museum Educator and streamed straight to your classroom. FIND OUT MORE

SEISIÚN FÍORÚIL: Scéalta an Zú Mhairbh  
(Stair an Dúlra ar líne)
Cad iad na rúin a bhaineann leis an am atá thart agus an am i láthair ata sna bailiúcháin agus cén fáth a bhfuil tábhacht leo don todhchaí? Foghlaim faoi scéalta an Zú Mhairbh le linn seisiún beo fíorúil, a stiúrfaidh Oideachasóir Músaeim, a sruthófar díreach chuig do sheomra ranga. TUILLEADH EOLAIS

VIRTUAL SESSION: Meet the Bears
(Natural History online)
How many different types of bears can be found in the world? Where do the live, what do they eat and who does big green poos! Discover this and more during a short online session, led by a Museum Educator and streamed straight to your classroom! FIND OUT MORE

GUIDED TOUR: Prehistoric Ireland - Stone Age and Bronze Age peoples
(National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2)
The Prehistoric Ireland tour introduces archaeology and history, exploring Stone and Bronze Age life. Linked to the curriculum, pupils engage hands-on with artefacts like Mesolithic fish traps and Bronze Age weapons. FIND OUT MORE

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY: The Stone Age
(National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2)
Explore Stone Age Megalithic Art in Ireland, learn about patterns and decorations, create your own megalithic stone, and complete a Stone Age word search. FIND OUT MORE

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY: The Bronze Age
(National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2)
Use the 'Summer Sun Discs' sheet to explore Bronze Age gold objects, decorate your own, and complete a word search about life in Bronze Age Ireland. FIND OUT MORE. 

Some highlights for POST PRIMARY LEVEL include:

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