News

National Museum of Ireland's Natural History Museum reopens

10 Aug 2022

The National Museum of Ireland's Natural History Museum has now reopened to the public.

From the 2nd August 2022, visitors are able to revisit the exhibits on the ground floor of the museum, including Irish Animals such as the iconic Giant Irish Deer, a selection of Blaschka glass models, and the Wonder Cabinet, with its hands-on display consisting of specially selected objects, including animal fur and a piece of giant deer fossil that is over 10,000 years old.. While currently not taking group bookings, visitors - in up to groups of 6 people - can pre-book tickets via the museum's website.

The museum has been closed for approximately two years to enable a bespoke roof-access platform to be inserted in the building under the glass ceiling, an exercise which necessitated of a major decant of over 20,000 specimens for their safety (see Tales of the Decant webpage for further detail on this process).

Built in 1856, the museum is undergoing a large-scale refurbishment project of the entire building, planned under the National Development Plan. The aforementioned platform will enable the Office of Public Works to further investigate the roof and understand the structure of the building.

The museum is scheduled to close again in 2023 once conservation work begins on its glass ceiling. It will also be making its upper levels accessible as part of the redevelopment project. In the meantime, those looking to visit the upper levels can do so through the museum's 3D Virtual Visit.