National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History

The National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, located at Collins Barracks in Dublin, is home to a wide range of objects, which include weaponry, furniture, silver, ceramics and glassware, as well as examples of Folklife and costume.

The barracks and central square are named after Michael Collins, the first Commander-in-Chief of the Irish Free State Army, who was killed at Béal na Bláth, Co. Cork four months before the barracks was surrendered to the Free State Army.

On 18 September 1997, the Inaugural Exhibitions were opened by the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Síle deValera TD. At present the Museum is working to a planned building programme for the use of the rest of the 18 acres of the site.

The old barracks, which had billets, stables, a riding school, drilling grounds and firing ranges, is currently being transformed sympathetically into galleries for exhibitions, reserve collections, conservation laboratories, libraries and offices.

Upcoming Exhibitions:

The Asgard

Later this year, theAsgardyacht will go on public display in Collins Barracks. Since 2007, a major programme of conservation on theAsgardhas been underway at the National Museum. The aims of the project are to conserve theAsgardand in the process save and secure as much surviving original material as possible while retaining the structural integrity of the vessel. Missing components will be replicated in original form. The ultimate aim of the project is to return the vessel to its form when first built and to display it in a purpose-built gallery.

A Dubliner’s Collection of Asian Art – The Albert Bender Exhibition

Albert M. Bender (1866-1941) was born in Dublin in June 1866, the son of Rabbi Philip Bender. By the time he was an adolescent he had emigrated to San Francisco, California where by the turn of the 20th century he was one of the most successful insurance brokers on the west coast of the United States.

In honour of his mother, Augusta Bender, he donated approx. 260 artefacts of mostly Chinese, Japanese and Tibetan origin to the National Museum of Ireland between 1931 and 1936. Although the National Museum had collected Asian applied arts during the late 19th/early 20th centuries, this was the first significant series of donations given to the National Museum during the early years of the Free State.

The material amalgamated by Bender and subsequently donated to the NMI includes one of the rarest sets of the seventeen Arhats (disciples) of Buddha and four Guardians of the Four Quarters of the World from a Tibetan-Chinese temple dating to the first half of the 18th century. Also included are textiles associated with the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Japanese Ukiyo-e (woodblock prints), a Lama Robe from one of the main Buddhist temples in Beijing dating to the 18th century and several decorative arts objects in the areas of metalwork, ceramics and wood.

This exhibition will continue indefinitely.

Blaze Away - Duelling, Gun Makers & Sword Makers in 19th Century Ireland

This exhibition examines duelling in Ireland and the work of two Irish families who made swords and guns in Dublin in 19th century. The Rigby family of Suffolk Street were Ireland’s most famous gun makers and Read family of Parliament Street were Ireland’s most renowned sword makers. Dublin had a large armaments industry in the19th Century and the exhibition will highlight this work by bringing out of storage the museum’s large collection of swords and guns.

This exhibition will continue indefinitely.

Eileen Gray

Opened in 2002, the collection is devoted to this Wexford-born designer and includes Gray's personal memorabilia, lacquering tools, carpets, chairs, tables, screens, lanterns, drawings, her portfolio and reviews of her work. It fulfils one of her greatest wishes, to have her work displayed in her own country.

Wexford born Eileen Gray (1878 – 1976) can rightly be called the “mother of modernism” and is seen as one of the most important architects and designers of the 20th century. From her early lacquer work to design classics like the bibendum chair and the architectural masterpiece of E1027, Eileen Gray’s work is as individual as it is exciting.

This is a permanent exhibition.

Curators' Choice

This exhibition comprises 25 objects chosen by the National Museum’s own curators in the Art & Industrial Division. Special attention in this gallery is given to the Fonthill Vase – the earliest documented piece of Chinese porcelain in Europe, regarded as one of the Museum's great international treasures. Amongst the other objects in this exhibition are a Japanese ceremonial bell over 2000 years old and the decorative gauntlets worn by King William at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. This is a permanent exhibition.

Out of Storage

This double-height gallery is designed to give the visitor an impression of the range of museum artefacts in the reserve collections of the National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts and History, from large pieces of medieval wooden sculpture to delicate pieces of finely-worked lace. The vast array of objects on display is interpreted through interactive multimedia elements.

This is a permanent exhibition.

Irish Silver

One of the largest collections of Irish silver in the world, this exhibition traces the development of the silversmith’s craft from the early 17th century to the present day. It addresses the evolution of design and examines the mining, assaying, and crafting of this precious metal. It illustrates the various uses of silver - religious, domestic and ceremonial and by means of vignettes seeks to place the objects in their historical and economic context.

This is a permanent exhibition

Airgead, A Thousand Years of Irish Coins & Currency

This exhibition tells the story of coins and money in Ireland from the 10th century to the present day - ranging from medieval coins and coin-hoards to modern banknotes. Related material such as tokens and medals are also displayed. The exhibition also traces the development of paper money from the 18th century to the present, finishing with credit cards and Internet banking.

This is a permanent exhibition.

The Way We Wore – 250 Years of Irish Clothing and Jewellery

This exhibition displays clothing and jewellery worn in Ireland principally from the 1760s to the 1960s. Although many still think of “Irish Dress” in the context of woollens worn in the West of Ireland, this exhibition shows that in the past the majority of Irish people, even those who wore locally woven fabrics (silk, linen, wool and cotton) dressed in styles which competed with the fashion conscious of Europe. The exhibition of jewellery features some of the materials from which jewellery has been made, the variety of reasons for wearing jewellery and the range of styles which people have bought and worn over the last few centuries.

This is a permanent exhibition.

What's In Store?

For the first time in the history of The National Museum, artefacts normally kept in storage will be visible and accessible to everyone. This storage facility is part of an effort to make publicly accessible some of the most important collections from the Museum. The entire national collections of glass, silver, pewter, brass, enamel and Asian applied arts are shown.

What’s in Store? is a fascinating array of artefacts that is guaranteed to captivate the imagination of young and old alike. The National Museum is pleased to provide this increased access to our history and heritage in the form of this modern visible storage facility.

This is a permanent exhibition

The Easter Rising: Understanding 1916

This exhibition examines the decade of disturbance between 1913 and 1923, from the Dublin Lockout, through the Easter Rising to the end of the Civil War.

The social, economic and cultural background to the Rising is explored, concentrating on the political dimension and the personalities involved. The exhibition describes the main events of Easter Week, outlining the locations of the garrisons and incorporating biographical details of the leaders. An original copy of the Proclamation of the Republic, as read by Pádraig Pearse outside the General Post Office on Easter Monday, occupies a central position in the exhibition.

The change in public opinion to one of support for the Rising, triggered by the execution of sixteen of the leaders, is examined. In the immediate aftermath of the Rising, thousands of insurgents were interned in various prisons, and examples of the nationalistic artworks produced by these prisoners are exhibited. The War of Independence (1919 – 21), culminating in the Anglo-Irish Treaty, and the Civil War (1922 – 23), are also examined.

There is also a unique opportunity to view the beautifully illuminated manuscript Leabhar na hAiséirghe (Book of the Resurrection), created by the artist-scribe Art O’Murnaghan between 1922 and 1951 to commemorate those who had died in the struggle for independence, and to celebrate the “resurgent spirit of the nation.”

This is a permanent exhibition.

Soldiers and Chiefs: The Irish at War at Home and Abroad, 1550-2001

This exhibition uses original artefacts, letters, and replicas and audio accounts to show how soldiering and war have affected the lives of Irish people. There are three main themes, Irish soldiers at home, Irish soldiers aboard and Irish soldiers in the 20th century, which are explored through the eyes of the average Irish soldier, and from that of civilians caught up in war and conflict here in Ireland. Our collection of military artefacts, and recent donations, including more unusual items such as the sword of one of Napoleons soldiers, playing cards taken from a pirate ship, Christmas cards and chocolate boxes from the trenches, a child's gas mask, uniforms, rifles and the flag of the Irish Republic will be on display to bring alive the military and social history of these Irish soldiers. The new 3 storey purpose built exhibition space houses planes and armoured vehicles leant by the Irish Defence Force and Aer Corp and are displayed with objects in our collection, to tell the tales of the men who flew, drove and serviced the vehicles in Ireland and on UN Peacekeeping duty. Bring along your family to explore the histories of the soldiers and their families in this exciting new exhibition.

This is a permanent exhibition.

For the current calendar of events at the various National Museums, visit www.museum.ie.