The National Gallery of Ireland is one of the country’s most popular visitor attractions. It houses the nation’s collection of European and Irish art from about 1300 to the present day, and an extensive library and archive.
Entry to the permanent collection, and many temporary exhibitions, is free for all. Open seven days a week, the Gallery is conveniently located in Dublin City centre, a short stroll from Trinity College and Merrion Square.
Free guided tours are available at weekends. Family packs and drawing and creative writing kits are available to borrow for free. Facilities include a shop, café, and wheelchair access to all levels.
Some temporary exhibitions need to be booked in advance and have an admission charge, but there are discounts and special offers available.
Take a look at the Gallery website in advance of your visit for full details.
- An Túr Gloine: Artists and the Collective
Family funAn Túr Gloine: Artists and the Collective An Túr Gloine was a pioneering stained glass studio, founded in 1903 by portrait painter Sarah Purser, with the help of Irish cultural activist Edward Martyn and English stained glass artist Alfred E. Child.
- Mildred Anne Butler – At Home in Nature
Family funMildred Anne Butler – At Home in Nature This exhibition showcases the work of Mildred Anne Butler (1858–1941), focusing on her revolutionary plein-air paintings and her skills in depicting animals, birds, and botany.
- In Real Life
Family funIn Real Life This exhibition celebrates the beauty and fragility of nature through works from the collection – closely observed studies, topographical views and poetic interpretations
- Pop-up Talk: The Work of Angie Shanahan and Bridget Flannery
Free things to doPop-up Talk: The Work of Angie Shanahan and Bridget Flannery Join us for a free, in-person lunchtime talk delivered by Angie Shanahan, discussing her work and collaboration with her friend and colleague Bridget Flannery.
- AIB Portrait Prize and Young Prize
Family funAIB Portrait Prize and Young Prize The AIB Portrait Prize and AIB Young Portrait Prize competitions will showcase contemporary portraiture and invites submissions from artists working in all media across the island of Ireland, and from Irish artists living abroad.
- Public Tour: LGBTQIA+ Artworks
Free things to doPublic Tour: LGBTQIA+ Artworks Join us for a free guided tour exploring a selection of works from the collection that are connected to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community.
- Sunday Family Drop-in Workshop: Nature Notebooks
Family funSunday Family Drop-in Workshop: Nature Notebooks Nature Notebooks with Ashleigh Downey, inspired by our exhibition In Real Life. Sunday Family Drop-in is a weekly inclusive, accessible, intergenerational workshop.
- Public Tour: Women Artists
Family funPublic Tour: Women Artists For centuries, there was an overwhelming lack of training, education and resources for women in the arts. Many who were able to receive training and establish careers were often the daughters of painters, members of religious orders...
Call into Sweny's Pharmacy in Lincoln Place immortalised in James Joyce’s Ulysses, still selling the famous lemon soap as bought by Leopold Bloom in chapter five of Ulysses.