Collins Barracks in Dublin City, named after famed Michael Collins, could be said to be the National Museum of Ireland's largest artefact, having had a unique history all of its own in another life. It housed both British Armed Forces and Irish army garrisons over three centuries. Built in 1702, the complex's main buildings are Neoclassical in style. Collins Barracks has been completely renovated and restored to become the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History, charting Ireland's economic, social, political and military progress through the ages.
Exhibits:
Irish Wars 1917 to 1923 and the 1916 Rising; Soldiers & Chiefs - Irish at war from 1550 to present day;
Photography of the revolutionary era in Ireland; 1000 years of Irish coin and currency; Irish country furniture and four centuries of furnishing;
The Way We Were - antique clothing and crafts; Sacred Art of Ireland 1600 to 1750; Irish silver exhibition; Eileen Gray exhibition;
A Dubliner's Collection of Asian Art - Albert Bender Collection; 21st century Irish Craft; Ib Jorgensen Fashion Retrospective; the Asgard, a restored sailboat with pivotal role in the 1914 Howth gun running story; and more.
Artefacts on display range from silver, ceramic and glassware pieces to weaponry, furniture, examples of folk life and costume. All of these are displayed with imagination in innovative and contemporary galleries, which entice you to go further, look harder and examine more closely.
- May Tours at Collins Barracks
Family funMay Tours at Collins Barracks As the weather warms, get your weekly dose of history at Collins Barracks this May! Discover something new on our diverse range of free public tours.
- National Biodiversity Week: Our Irish Natural History at the Dead Zoo Lab
Family funNational Biodiversity Week: Our Irish Natural History at the Dead Zoo Lab Join us in the Dead Zoo Lab this National Biodiversity Week for a special drop-in event to meet the community curators behind Our Irish Natural History exhibition.
- International Museum Day at Collins Barracks
Family funInternational Museum Day at Collins Barracks This International Museum Day, join us for a Guides' Guide to Collins Barracks, where our expert guide Clare Doyle will provide a history of the Barracks, and let you in on her own Museum highlights.
- Brass Fusion - live performance at Collins Barracks
Family funBrass Fusion - live performance at Collins Barracks Join us at Collins Barracks for Brass Fusion, a free live brass band performance. The ensemble blends contemporary and traditional brass music, offering an open‑air cultural event suitable for families, tourists and music lovers.
- Slow Looking Tour - The Way We Wore: Representations of Social Change through Clothing
Family funSlow Looking Tour - The Way We Wore: Representations of Social Change through Clothing Join us for a slow-looking tour of the The Way We Wore exhibition, where our expert guides will explore the history of clothing in Ireland, and in particular, how clothing can be seen as a representation of social change for women in Ireland.
- Wider Than Pictures 2026
Wider Than Pictures 2026 Wider Than Pictures is back for their annual summer series at National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks this summer!
