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National Museum of Archaeology and History Review
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National Museum of Archaeology and History
- Address: Kildare St.; Annex, 7-9 Merrion Row, Southside, Dublin, Co. Dublin
- Phone: 01/677-7444
- www.museum.ie
- Category: Museums/Galleries
- Location: Southside
Fodor's Review:
Set just to the south of Leinster House, Ireland's National Museum of Archaeology and History houses a fabled collection of Irish artifacts dating from 7000 BC to the present. Organized around a grand rotunda, the museum is elaborately decorated, with mosaic floors, marble columns, balustrades, and fancy ironwork. It has the largest collection of Celtic antiquities in the world, including gold jewelry, carved stones, bronze tools, and weapons.
The Treasury collection, including some of the museum's most renowned pieces, is open on a permanent basis. Among the priceless relics on display are the late Bronze Age gold collar known as the Gleninsheen Gorget; the 8th-century Ardagh Chalice, a two-handled silver cup with gold filigree ornamentation; the bronze-coated iron St. Patrick's Bell, the oldest surviving example (5th-8th centuries) of Irish metalwork; the 8th-century Tara Brooch, an intricately decorated piece made of white bronze, amber, and glass; and the 12th-century bejeweled oak Cross of Cong, covered with silver and bronze panels.
The Road to Independence Room is devoted to the 1916 Easter Uprising and the War of Independence (1919-21); displays here include uniforms, weapons, banners, and a piece of the flag that flew over the General Post Office during Easter Week, 1916. Upstairs, Viking Age Ireland is a permanent exhibit on the Norsemen, featuring a full-size Viking skeleton, swords, leather works recovered in Dublin and surrounding areas, and a replica of a small Viking boat. The newest attraction is Medieval Ireland, bringing to life the age of cathedrals, monasteries, and castles.
In contrast to the ebullient late-Victorian architecture of the main museum building, the design of the National Museum Annex is purely functional; it hosts temporary shows of Irish antiquities. The 18th-century Collins Barracks, near Phoenix Park, houses the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History, a collection of glass, silver, furniture, and other decorative arts.
- Cost: Free
- Open: Tues.-Sat. 10-5, Sun. 2-5
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