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    Royal Hibernian Academy

    4.6 (7 reviews)
    InexpensiveMuseums, Art Galleries

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    Annie L.

    It's modern facade makes it stand out from the Georgian buildings that line Ely place. But it is not gawdy, it has an understated coolness about it. All of which is quite fitting because the art that it displays is contemporary. I am always pleased to see a large professional space for Irish artists to display their work, thus giving the outlet to sell their work. It also is good to see that they also display the work of other international contemporary artists which raises the overall standard and prestige of it. During the summer months they display work by the members of the Academy, I just had an amble around last week, well worth the visit. Oh it's free admission!

    "The Foggy Dew" Exhibition
    Katie G.

    Tucked away down a side street next to Stephen's Green, I only became aware of this art gallery when I went to a "Hennessey Lost Friday" event hosted here (using the gallery as a space to give artist tours as well as cocktail lessons, art work and music). The first thing you find on entering is the cafe - a smallish space, with a relatively simple, yet tasty menu (the meatballs were delicious). Then into the Academy, where there are a set of different rooms hosting different artwork. I was lucky enough to get a tour of one of the current exhibitions "Foggy Dew" from the artist (and current RHA President) Mick O'Dea, which further enhanced the experience (head there soon to see his contribution to the centenary celebrations). With no admission fee and changing exhibitions, worth a look in if you are in town

    Qype User (Nikki8…)

    'Royal Hibernian Academy' I think this is one of Irelands best influential contemporary art galleries. As soon as you walk into the gallery it challenges peoples apreciation of the visual arts displayed in there. In there i saw drawings, paintings, and photography which are all shown in four galleries. they are all exhibitions of Irish and world wide art. They also have a gallery for artists that are not commercially known yet. This ia a great gallery to see if you like art and like to challenge the your appreciation and understanding of traditional and innovative approaches to the visual arts.

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    EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum

    EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum

    4.5(83 reviews)
    1.3 kmIFSC

    The epic museum was another one of my favorite tourist attractions while in Dublin. For anyone…read morewho's interested in learning more about Irish history and culture this museum is definitely for you. What I really appreciated about the stop is that it's modernized and on the newer side (for a museum) so it does feel much more updated with the technology/exhibits so that it meets modern times. We purchased our tickets in advance, but they also allow you same-day/in person purchases. I don't know if we got lucky the day we came or if they have a cap on how many tickets they sell, but it did feel like the group/people allowed in was buffered, which kept the experience feeling more intimate/less crowded. There is plenty to see and multiple floors to explore so we were easily here three hours walking all about and taking in the different exhibits. My favorite exhibit was where they paid homage to the musical influences and artists of Ireland. I found this section to be the most interesting for me personally and it was well done. Honestly, there was so much to see, you could easily come back a few times to really take it all in. For the price it is worth it and a great way to spend a few hours in Dublin. I would highly recommend stopping here.

    I am at the museum as a person who has no idea of Irish history or culture. Everything was new to…read moreme as an Asian-American. If you love history, you will love the epic museum. I accompanied my team for a group social event here that we got to learn so much about Ireland and the people and how much they went through. Also learned about how many Irish people are in the world. Since I am East Asian I am not very familiar with a lot of this in fact, I am probably the first in my family to ever visit Ireland. The museum is set up to be and walk-through at your own pace and you get a little passport that you can stamp to make sure you didn't miss any exhibits and take home as a keepsake for your visit Ireland.

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    EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
    EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum - From Sports to Politics, learn about the struggles and successes of the Irish diaspora.

    From Sports to Politics, learn about the struggles and successes of the Irish diaspora.

    EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum

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    Dublin Castle - Dublin Castle_Sanju-12

    Dublin Castle

    4.1(156 reviews)
    1.1 kmSouth Inner City

    Its a easy experience to go through, beautiful castle with free lockers to store backpacks.read more

    Dublin Castle was originally built in the early 1200s as a medieval fortress under the instruction…read moreof King John of England. For centuries, it was the headquarters of English (and eventually British) rule in Ireland. In 1684, a large fire destroyed a large portion of the castle. Instead of matching the original Gothic style, most of it was rebuilt using a Georgian style, similar to what you'd find in the French Palace of Versailles! It's quite the contrast. When you visit Dublin Castle, you can choose to explore it in two ways: with a self-guided tour to the state apartments or with a scheduled guided tour that visits the Viking Excavation, the Chapel Royal, and the State Apartments. When you first enter the courtyard, you'll immediately see the newer Georgian architecture in the neat red brick buildings surrounding the square. From the 13th century to the early 20th century, the castle was under British control. It served from being a royal palace and parliament to a prison. Dublin Castle was eventually handed over to General Michael Collins on the 16th of January in 1922. Collins was a soldier and a politician who lead the Irish people through their fight for Independence Dublin Castle plays a huge role in Ireland's history and a walk around the grounds is time well spent. Today the castle is a government complex and tourist attraction. Stroll through the famous Chester Beatty Library if time permits

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    Dublin Castle - Dublin Castle_Sanju-4

    Dublin Castle_Sanju-4

    Dublin Castle - Dining hall

    Dining hall

    Dublin Castle

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    The Book of Kells - Bookcase in the Long Room.

    The Book of Kells

    3.7(191 reviews)
    0.7 kmSouth Inner City

    The Book of Kells is one of Ireland's beloved treasures. It's an illuminated manuscript from the…read moreninth century, a collection of the four gospels. That the Book is so well preserved given its age--approximately 1200 years old--and that the illustrations are so vibrant are amongst the reasons it's so extraordinary. Beyond simply being a work of art, its history is fascinating; it even survived a raid in which dozens of monks were killed! Maybe it does have a bit of divine luck. Its origins are quite mysterious, though it's suspected to have been at least partially created in Scotland before the aforementioned raid led the surviving monks to Kells. It's made of vellum, so quite delicate, hence the reason it's under such careful care. In fact it has been in the care of Trinity College since the 17th century in order to protect it. To view the Book of Kells, you will need to visit Trinity College Dublin. I can't recall if we bought tickets ahead of time or upon arrival, but you can buy them online. There's an exhibit about the book as you make your way toward the pages on display to provide context to what you'll see. There are only two pages from the Book open at any given time; they change every six weeks or so. And you get to leave through the Long Room on the way out, which IMO is itself worth the price of admission.

    I've read about and admired the artwork of the Book of Kells since I was small, so to be able to…read moresee a small scrap of the real thing was exciting...but. The museum was small and crowded, and navigating from exhibit to exhibit was confusing -- I was attempting to listen to the audio guide, and kept ending up pausing to search around for the correct exhibit. (Maybe put arrows on the floor to guide visitors?) The enlarged illuminations, with discussions of all the symbolism, were likely the best part, as I learned a lot about the Book... but I'd almost prefer to buy a book *about* the Book of Kells, with high-quality close-up photographs. I'd be able to see more detail, suffer less crowding and frustration with the navigation, and sit down occasionally and use the restroom when needed. (There is nowhere to sit and rest, and no restrooms in the building.) So! If you love history, come see the single illuminated page on display (if you're patient enough to wait for a chance to get close enough), learn a bit about the creation and the history of the Book, then move upstairs to marvel at the Long Library, with its beautiful arched ceiling and weight of history. In the Long Library, there is ongoing work to restore and catalog the thousands of historical works on the shelves -- plus the shelves themselves. It's a glorious space, with a few benches where one can sit and admire without getting dizzy. The Harp of Brian Boru (the actual harp that is the symbol of Ireland, centuries old) is on display here, and was a real wonder: warm dark wood with delicate carving, worn through years of use, and inlaid gemstones (some missing). The final part of the tour is in a different building, where many of the most famous works from the Long Library are featured in a really creative interactive exhibit: images of busts of the authors talk to you, and to each other. There are representations of the digital archives as well, allowing you to appreciate how many important works are stored in the Long Library, and what a Herculean task is underway in restoring and cataloging them all. The exit is through the gift shop, which had a diverse and high-quality collection of souvenirs of the college and the museums (not just cheap tchotchkes and tshirts).

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    The Book of Kells - Book of kells tour, guide was great!

    Book of kells tour, guide was great!

    The Book of Kells - Mary Wollstonecraft.

    Mary Wollstonecraft.

    The Book of Kells - The history is incredible

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    The history is incredible

    National Museum of Ireland- Natural History

    National Museum of Ireland- Natural History

    4.2(32 reviews)
    0.3 kmSouth Inner City

    This isn't the most glamorous museum in Dublin, but it's worth a visit. If you really like seeing…read moreanimals from around the world, you can easily spend a couple hours here. It's several stories and a good way to pass the time between dining reservations, movie times, or just a rainy afternoon. The exhibits, of which there are over 10,000, are very old. The pelts on a lot of the animals are faded. A good portion of the animals were hunted, killed in a time when hunting wasn't as much of a hot button item (the museum was opened in 1857). I'm supremely creeped out by taxidermy, and there is an added level of creepiness and existentialism in viewing creatures that died up to 200 years ago. Still, it's a museum. The interest lies in seeing creatures native to Ireland, ones you haven't seen before, and ones you may never see again. It's not the happiest of museums to walk around in if you're sensitive to the plight of wild animals; however, you might just learn something, which I believe is the whole point of a museum.

    Dublin has its fair share of museums that cater to many eclectic interests, but I have to say that…read morethe National Museum of Natural History really takes the cake for being one of the best. Not only is it free (thank you Irish tax payers!) but the sites inside are sort of incredible. Natural history buffs are going to enjoy all the different exhibits on both floors- some of which showcase species that have gone extinct like the giant Irish deer. You learn about the various creatures that once roamed this land and get a glimpse at how much evolution has changed the world. Mind you that it could feel a bit eerie inside given the amount of animals staring down at you, but it really places you in the heart of "Night at the Museum," which is totally what they were going for. Bring your family and stop by. It's certainly worth the half hour to at least roam the world inside!

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    National Museum of Ireland- Natural History
    National Museum of Ireland- Natural History
    National Museum of Ireland- Natural History

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    National Gallery of Ireland - National Gallery of Ireland_Yelp_Sanju-1

    National Gallery of Ireland

    4.3(88 reviews)
    0.4 kmSouth Inner City

    What is not to love about art?…read more They have some of the greats like Picasso and and Renoir. Some of the exhibits were closed but this was still worth a visit. Free entry.

    The Gallery is centrally located, right on Merrion Square just to the east of Trinity College…read more Located in the city centre of Dublin, the gallery first opened its doors to the public in January 1864. It hosts around 2,500 paintings and about 10,000 other works in different media including water-colours, drawings, prints, and sculptures. It also houses a prestigious collection of Irish art and is also notable for its Dutch masters and Italian Baroque painting. Inside the gallery there are 15,000 works of art! Amongst the paintings and other art works to look out for, there's the Taking of Christ by Caravaggio, For The Road by Jack Yeats and the Sick Call by Mathew James which depicts the suffering of the Irish population following the famine. Amongst them is 'A woman writing a letter with her maidservant' by Johannes Vermeer Free guided tours at weekends are performed, it is a good way to learn the story behind the paintings. Otherwise, the entry to the permanent collection is free, and children can have a special audio guide to explore the gallery. From paintings to modern art, sculptures to a giant wooden carving, we easily spent a few hours there. The museum has a good cafe offering food and beverages, and you can enter off of Merrion Square or on the street

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    National Gallery of Ireland - National Gallery of Ireland_Yelp_Sanju-7

    National Gallery of Ireland_Yelp_Sanju-7

    National Gallery of Ireland - National Gallery of Ireland_Yelp_Sanju-12

    National Gallery of Ireland_Yelp_Sanju-12

    National Gallery of Ireland - National Gallery of Ireland_Yelp_Sanju-9

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    Irish Whiskey Museum

    Irish Whiskey Museum

    4.7(214 reviews)
    0.8 kmSouth Inner City

    We did two different experiences here. First was the tour and whiskey tasting and second was…read morecocktail mailing class. The tour part was not really too fun for us but the cocktail making class was a 10/10. Our mixologist specialist André was the best ever. He was very knowledgeable and dealt with our group of rowdy individuals with professionalism. We made a whiskey sour (the best I have ever had), an old fashioned, and a version of an Irish coffee which was also the best ever! If you do a later tour, be sure to visit the shop beforehand because it'll be closed afterwards so that was a bit of a disappointment. I highly recommend the cocktail making class for sure! Thanks for the fun time and good drinks!

    This was such an informative and interesting 45-minute tour. Our tour guide, Matt, was funny,…read moreengaging, and incredibly knowledgeable. He taught us so much about the history of whiskey, where it originated, and how it's made today. We chose the classic tasting, which included three different whiskeys to sample. One of the most interesting things we learned was how adding just a drop of water can completely change the chemistry and flavor profile of whiskey. The tastings were all very distinct: **Skellig** (my personal favorite) - sweet, rich, and warm with a woodsy aroma and smooth flavor. **Fercullen Falls** (my husband's favorite) - smoky and peppery with a slightly sweet scent, followed by a spicy, woodsy flavor and a light vanilla finish. **Ardara** (not my favorite) - heavily peated and smoky. To me, it smelled like burnt rubber and old tires, with a bitter flavor and strong burnt aftertaste that lingered. Overall, this was a fantastic experience and a great way to learn more about Irish whiskey in a fun and approachable setting. Highly recommend for both whiskey lovers and beginners alike!

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    Irish Whiskey Museum
    Irish Whiskey Museum
    Irish Whiskey Museum - Whiskey Sour

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    Whiskey Sour

    Royal Hibernian Academy - museums - Updated May 2026

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