IRISH MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
Housed in the former Royal Hospital, a 17th century home for retired British servicemen, the Irish Museum of Modern Art houses temporary exhibitions and a permanent collection of 20th century art from Ireland and abroad. Work from established figures is frequently juxtaposed with that of younger artists. Works by Andy Warhol and by the Irish artist Louis le Broquy have featured in the museum's major exhibitions.
Address: Royal Hospital, Military Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8
Tel: 01 612 9900
Fax: 01 612 9999
Opening hours:
Tues-Sat 10am-5.30pm
Sundays, Bank Holidays 12pm-5.30pm
Closed Mondays, December 24th-26th
Admission charges:
No admission charge
NATIONAL MUSEUM
Based in two sites, the National Museum houses artefacts which date from 7000 BC to the 20th century.
1. In the Kildare St building in the city centre, which was opened in 1890, exhibitions include The Treasury, which features major examples of Celtic and Medieval art such as the famous Ardagh Chalice, Tara Brooch and the Derrynaflan Hoard. Prehistoric gold artefacts are featured in the Ór - Ireland's Gold exhibition, while Independence is a fascinating exhibition dealing with the history of the 1916-1921 period, which led to independence. The most recent exhibition features artefacts from Ancient Egypt.
Address: Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
Tel: 01 677 7444
Fax: 01 677 7928
2. A mile from the city centre, the Collins Barracks site is based in the oldest continuously occupied barracks in the world. Since 1997 it has been Ireland's museum of the decorative arts and of economic, social, political and military history.
Address: Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7.
Tel: 01 677 7444
Fax: 01 677 7828
Opening hours:
Tues-Sat 10am-5pm
Sundays: 2pm-5pm
Closed Mondays, Christmas Day, Good Friday
Admission charges:
No entry charge. 40-minute guided tours daily. Ir£1 per adult, under-16s free. School tours are free-of-charge, but must be pre-booked.
IRISH JEWISH MUSEUM
Located in a former Synagogue, which consisted of two adjoining terraced houses, the Jewish Museum contains a substantial collection of memorabilia relating to Ireland's Jewish communities, whose commercial and social life is documented in photographs, paintings, and other displays. A feature of particular interest is a kitchen depicting a typical Sabbath/Festival meal setting in a Jewish home at the turn of the last century. The original Synagogue, with all its fittings can be viewed upstairs. The museum is based in Portobello, just south of the city centre, an area which once had a sizeable Jewish population. There are some 1,800 Jews living in Ireland today. The home of Rabbi Herzog, first Chief Rabbi of Ireland and father of Dr Chaim Herzog, a former president of Israel, is nearby. The fictional home of Leopold Bloom, the hero of Joyce's Ulysses, is also close by - it can be found at 52 Clanbrassil St.
Address: 3/4 Walworth Road (Off Victoria St), South Circular Road, Dublin 8
Tel: 01 453 1797
Opening hours:
May-Sept: Sun/Tues/Thurs 11am-3.30pm.
Oct-April: Sunday only 10.30am-2.30pm
Adult and school tours by request. Call 01 676 0737 or 01 4758388 for further information.
Admission charges:
Free
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
The opening of the Natural History Museum in 1857 was marked by a lecture on recent 'African Discoveries' by Dr David Livingstone. The impression today is that not much has changed in the museum since then, for it retains a certain olde world charm and plenty of Victorian clutter. Indeed, anyone seeking to find out how "the past" was presented in the last century would do well to check out the archaic displays and quirky language used to describe the exhibits. Visitors to the ground floor can see specimens of Irish wildlife and fauna, while upstairs, all manner of preserved beasts attest to the skill of the taxidermists of old. Other exhibits, including two whales suspended from the roof, have been reduced to their skeletal cores which makes for fascinating viewing, particularly for children. The museum is also a research centre, which specialises in the study of insects. Excited entomologists can be seen scurrying through its corridors - the museum's collection of creepy crawlies is said to run to some 500,000.
Address: Merrion Square West, Dublin 2
Tel: 01 677 7444
Opening hours:
Tues-Sat 10am-5pm Sundays 2pm-5pm
Admission charges:
Free
JOYCE MUSEUM
For a brief period, James Joyce actually lived in this Martello Tower with his occasional drinking partner, the writer and surgeon Oliver St John Gogarty. He immortalised Gogarty in the opening of Ulysses as the "stately, plump" Buck Mulligan, who shaves himself in the open air at the top of the tower while talking to Stephen Dedalus, the fictional Joyce. The museum houses a collection of Joyce memorabilia and is something of a pilgrimage point for Joyceans on Bloomsday, June 16th, the day in 1904 on which Ulysses is set. The Forty Foot bathing spot - formerly the preserve of gentlemen only - in which Buck Mulligan took a swim in Ulysses, is nearby. Even in winter, when the museum is closed, the tower and its environs are worth visiting, if only for their scenic charm.
Address: Joyce Tower, Sandycove, Co Dublin
Tel: 01 280 9265
Opening hours:
April-Oct:
Mon-Sat 10am-5pm
Sundays, Bank Holidays 2pm-6pm
Closed Nov-Mar.
The museum closes for lunch between 1pm and 2pm It is open for group tours outside these hours. Tel: 01 872 2077
Admission charges:
Adult Ir£2.60, Concession Ir£2.10, Children Ir£1.30, Family Ir£7.75
Group (20+): Adult Ir£2.10, Concession Ir£1.85, Children Ir£1.00
The Guinness visitors centre, just yards from the fabled St James's Gate, is one of the most popular tourist stops in Dublin. The centre is based in a building used for almost a century to store hops for the brewing process. Visitors can see impressive exhibitions on the brewing and history of Guinness, its advertising and its distribution, all of which amount to a heady eulogy to the "pint of plain". Art exhibitions are shown on the top floor of the centre. Visitors usually finish their tour with a glass of Guinness provided in the basement bar.
Opening hours:
Apr-Sept: 9.30am-5pm Mon-Sat
10.30am-4.30pm Sundays, Bank Holidays
Oct-March: 9.30am-4pm Mon-Sat
12pm-4pm Sundays, Bank Holidays
Admission charges:
Adults Ir£3, Students Ir£2, Children Ir£1
THE JAMES JOYCE CENTRE
Run by members of the writer's family, the James Joyce Centre is based in a restored Georgian house in the heart of Dublin city. As well as organising many of the annual events that take place on Bloomsday, June 16th, the centre celebrates Joyce's life with memorabilia offering intimate insights into the world in which he lived. Readings from Joyce's works and writers' group meetings take place regularly, as well as film and literary debates. A comprehensive reference library is also available.
Address: 35 North Great Georges Street, Dublin 1
Tel: 01 878 8547
Fax: 01 878 8488
Email: jamesjoyce@adnet.ie
Admission charges:
Free
DUBLIN WRITER'S MUSEUM
This museum will be of particular interest to those who have already read books by the writers featured although it could also serve as a good introduction to the field of Irish writing in general. Based in a splendid old house on Parnell Square, the collection includes an impressive array of photographs, paintings, first editions and memorabilia, the effect of which is to offer very personal insights into the writers' lives and work. The Irish Writers Centre is in the same building and a programme of readings and talks by contemporary writers is held throughout the year. The museum is just a few doors down from the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Art - a rewarding half-day could be spent visiting the two. The well-respected "Chapter One" restaurant is in the basement of the museum.
Address: 18, Parnell Square, Dublin 1
Tel: 01 872 2077
Opening hours:
Mon-Sat 10am-5pm. (The museum is open until 6pm on weekdays during June, July and August).
Sundays, Bank Holidays: 11am-6pm
Admission charges:
Adults Ir£3, Concession Ir£2.55, Children (3-11 years) Ir£1.40, Family (2 adults/4 children) Ir£8.25
Group rates (over 20 people): Adults Ir£2.55, Concession Ir£2.15, Children (3-11 years) Ir£1.20
Facilities:
Tearooms available and a good bookshop.
