Irelands National Museum is located on Kildare Street. Established in 1877 to record and host Ireland’s historical treasures, it has become Ireland’s most important cultural institution. Some of the country’s most important items such the Ardagh Chalice and Tara Brooch make up one of Europe’s most important collection of gold artefacts of the Bronze and Iron Age. You’ll be immediately struck by these as you enter the main hall of the building. The 6 main collections are The Treasury, Ireland’s Gold, Prehistoric Ireland, Viking Age Ireland, The Road to Independence, and Ancient Egypt. You can go it alone or get a guided tour.
You’ll also get a chance to see the spectacularly well preserved ‘bog bodies’ in fascinating detail. Found in Ireland bogs (and the reason they are so well preserved) they are a reminder of a savage era of torture as they are believed to have been involved in ritualistic sacrifice. It’ll certainly make you stop and think and the museum have handled the exhibits sensitively.
It’s a small museum in comparison to some of its European counterparts so you should be able to cover most of it in a few hours.Entrance is free. There is also café and shop on site -> www.museum.ie
