Join us on Thursday evenings until 8pm from 4 July to 12 September 2024 for an exciting free programme of tours, talks, handling sessions, and workshops at the three Dublin branches of the National Museum of Ireland.
Discover the wonders of history, art, and natural science at the National Museum of Ireland with our free after-hours highlight events. Admission is free and no booking is required.
Please be advised of the following:
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The National Museum of Ireland - Natural History late night opening runs until 29 August 2024.
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Enjoy a 10% discount at our Museum shops in the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology and the National Museum of Ireland -Decorative Arts & History
SEPTEMBER
From Barracks to Museum – An Introduction to Collins Barracks guided tour
12th September, 5.30pm to 6.15pm, Adults
National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dubin 7
Discover the long and fascinating history of Collins Barracks, from its time as a military barracks for the British and Irish armies to its foundation as a museum to the present day.
Prehistoric Ireland guided tour
12th September, 6pm to 6.45pm, Adults
National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
On this tour, discover Mesolithic fish-traps, food of Neolithic Ireland, wonderful gold objects of the Irish Bronze Age, and artefacts from Iron Age Ireland.
PAST EVENTS:
A Taste of the Past: The History of Food & Drink free guided tour
Thursday, 4 July, 5.30pm, Adults & Families
National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dubin 7
Explore wining and dining through the ages.
The History of Art in Ireland guided tour
Thursday, 4 July, 6pm, Adults & Families
National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Learn about the development of art from the Stone Age to Early Medieval Ireland.
Museum Director's Highlights Tour of the Dead Zoo
Thursday, 4 July, 6pm to 6.45pm, Adults
National Museum of Ireland - Natural History, Merrion Street, Dublin 2
Join Lynn Scarff, Director of the National Museum of Ireland, on a special evening tour of the Dead Zoo where she will share personal highlights of the collection in the Ground Floor gallery of the Natural History Museum.
Museum Director's Highlights Tour of Collins Barracks
Thursday, 11 July, 5.30pm, Adults & Families
National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dubin 7
Museum Director, Lynn Scarff, will give a special tour of the Museum sharing her personal highlights from the collection.
The History of Art in Ireland guided tour
Thursday, 11 July, 6pm, Adults & Families
National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Learn about the development of art from the Stone Age to Early Medieval Ireland.
'Out of Storage' Highlights - Behind the Scenes Bird Collections
Thursday, 11 July, 6pm to 7pm, Adults & Families
National Museum of Ireland - Natural History, Merrion Street, Dublin 2
Drop-in and discover some highlights from the extensive bird collections at the National Museum of Ireland -Natural History. Meet Zoology Curator, Emma Murphy, as she showcases some of her favourite specimens from the 'behind the scenes' research collections.
Asgard: From Gun-Running to Recent Conservation - Curator's talk
Thursday, 18 July, 5.30pm, Adults
National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dubin 7
Learn about the fascinating life of the Asgard yacht, from its revolutionary history to its storied restoration.
The Saints and Scholars of Ireland guided tour
Thursday, 18 July, 6pm, Adults & Families
National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Discover the artefacts associated with the patron saints of Ireland - St. Patrick, St. Brigid and St. Colmcille.
Curating Monsters - The Importance of Pathology in Natural History Collections
Thursday, 18 July, 6pm, Adults
National Museum of Ireland- Natural History, Merrion Street, Dublin 2
Meet Zoology Curator, Dr Amy Geraghty, and learn about the importance of collecting, maintaining and studying unusual specimens and how Natural History Collections can contribute to the study of diseases and environmental impacts.
Hands-on History: Unconvertible Rebels, The Women of Revolutionary Ireland - handling table
Thursday, 8 August, 5.30pm, Adults & Families
National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dubin 7
Join Museum educators for an interactive handling session with objects from the Museum's handling collection that reflect a history of women's activism during the revolutionary era of 1913-1923.
Recovered Voices: Stories and Experiences of the Irish during World War One guided tour
Thursday, 15 August, 5.30pm, Adults & Families
National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dubin 7
Explore fascinating histories of Irish soldiers fighting in World War I in this free guided tour of the Recovered Voices exhibition.
What's Next for the Dead Zoo?
Thursday, 15 August, 6pm to 6.45pm, Adults
National Museum of Ireland- Natural History, Merrion Street, Dublin 2.
The Dead Zoo is due to close its doors for a major refurbishment at the end of the summer. Keeper Paolo Viscardi will be onsite for this late event answering questions about why the museum is closing, what work is being done behind the scenes, and what the next steps will be in order to bring new life to the Dead Zoo.
Prehistoric Ireland guided tour
Thursday, 22 August, 6pm, Adults & Families
National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Discover Mesolithic fish-traps, food of Neolithic Ireland, wonderful gold objects of the Irish Bronze Age, and artefacts from Iron Age Ireland.
Become a Swiftie
Thursday, 22 August, 6pm to 6.45pm, Adults
National Museum of Ireland- Natural History, Merrion Street, Dublin 2.
Join Museum Educator, Geraldine Breen, for her talk on our most fascinating frequent flyer - the swift. Discover the essentials of this species, with a peek behind the scenes and some stories about swifts in the city. Get ready to become a swiftie!
Gloves, Games and Gallons of Fun - handling table
Thursday, 29 August, 5.30pm, Adults & Families
National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dubin 7
Join us for an interactive handling session which explores the age-old question of how to spend your evening - going out or staying in? This after-hours handling session will feature a range of fascinating objects that reflect historical fashions, grooming, and past times of the past.
Kingship and Sacrifice: The Bog Bodies
Thursday, 29 August, 6pm, Families
National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
find out why the Bog Bodies from Ireland are of international scientific significance by exploring the Kingship and Sacrifice exhibition with a Museum Educator. Explore the role of kingship in ancient Ireland and discover many other finds from the Iron Age and the Irish wetlands including bog butter.
Colonial Collections - Global Biodiversity in an Irish Museum
Thursday, 29 August, 6pm to 6.45pm, Adults
National Museum of Ireland - Natural History, Merrion Street, Dublin 2.
The Dead Zoo is a repository of Irish biodiversity, mapping the animal species found on the island and in the surrounding seas. But the collection also encompasses biodiversity from around the globe and reflects human histories of trade, colonisation and exploitation. Join Keeper Paolo Viscardi to discover some of the stories of where collections came from, how they were acquired, and how some of them are playing an important role in understanding biodiversity in their source nations, with examples discovered during a collaborative digitisation project led by the SINGIFY team from the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum in Singapore.
Museum Director's Highlights tour of the National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology
5th September, 6pm to 6.45pm, Adults
National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Director Lynn Scarff will give a special tour of the Museum sharing her personal highlights in the collection.
Revolutionary Women Guided Tour: Representations through Soldiers and Chiefs
5th September, 5.30pm to 6.15pm, Adults
National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dubin 7
This after-hours tour will explore stories of women involved in the military history of Ireland through objects and photographs on display in the Soldiers & Chiefs exhibition. Learn about remarkable Irish women - from Anne Devlin to Mary Spring Rice to Elizabeth O'Farrell, among many other leading lights - as well as the many roles women played throughout the history of Ireland.