National Leprechaun Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 10 March 2010 |
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| Location | Jervis Street, Dublin, Ireland |
| Type | Leprechaun |
| Public transit access | Jervis Luas stop (Red Line) |
The National Leprechaun Museum is a special place in Dublin, Ireland. It's a museum all about Irish stories and myths, especially about leprechauns! It teaches you about these old tales through fun storytelling.
It opened on Jervis Street in Dublin on March 10, 2010. People say it's the very first museum in the world just for leprechauns!
Contents
About the Museum
Who Created the Museum?
Tom O'Rahilly created the National Leprechaun Museum. He worked with two Italian designers, Elena Micheli and Walter Scipioni, to bring his ideas to life. Tom started planning the museum way back in 2003.
He wanted the museum to be a "story-telling" adventure for visitors. His goal was to give people a fun "leprechaun experience." It also helps visitors learn about Ireland's long history of telling amazing stories.
What You See Inside
When you visit the museum, you go on a guided tour through several different rooms. Each room is set up to help tell different stories and share information. You'll learn the basics of Leprechaun folklore. This includes what makes a leprechaun special and unique.
The museum also shows how leprechauns have appeared in popular culture. For example, it talks about when Walt Disney visited Ireland. This trip inspired his 1959 movie, Darby O'Gill and the Little People.
You can also explore a tunnel filled with cool optical illusions. There's a wooden copy of the Giant's Causeway, a famous natural wonder in Northern Ireland. Another fun room has giant furniture and items. This makes you feel like you've shrunk down to leprechaun size!
Other Mythical Creatures
The tour also introduces you to other creatures from Irish folklore. You might learn about the púca, which are shape-shifting spirits. There are also stories about fairies and the banshee, a spirit often linked to Irish families. After your tour, you can visit the souvenir shop.
Museum Reception
The National Leprechaun Museum has received different opinions from visitors and critics. In 2010, The Irish Times newspaper jokingly called it the "Louvre of leprechauns." The Louvre is a very famous art museum in Paris, France.
However, in 2024, a website called solitaired.com made a list of the "most boring" tourist attractions. This list was based on over 66 million Google reviews. The National Leprechaun Museum was ranked 38th on this list. It was the only attraction in Ireland to be on the list. Because of this, some news outlets called it "Ireland's most boring tourist attraction."
