National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts and History facts for kids
| Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann – Na hEalaíona Maisiúla ⁊ Stair | |
Front facade of Collins Barracks
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| Established | 18 September 1997 |
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| Location | Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin, Ireland |
| Type | National museum |
| Collection size | 150,000 items |
| Visitors | 198,974 (2018) |
| Public transit access | Museum Luas stop  Dublin Bus routes: 25, 25a, 66, 67 |
| National Museum of Ireland network | |
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The National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts and History is a cool place to visit in Dublin, Ireland. It's part of the bigger National Museum of Ireland family. You can find it at the old Collins Barracks building.
This museum is special because it shows off amazing collections of art, crafts, and historical items. It also has a lot of things about Ireland's military past. Some of its most important items are from big Irish events like the Easter Rising.
Contents
Discovering the Museum's Past
How the Museum Started: 1877–1922
The part of the museum that focuses on decorative arts and history began way back in 1877. It was first called the Art and Industrial Division. At the start, the museum bought many beautiful objects from places like India and Iran. These included shiny enamels, pottery, and fabrics.
The museum also borrowed items from the famous Victoria and Albert Museum in London. When the main museum building opened on Kildare Street, it showed off art and industrial items. These collections were important for teaching art students and people working in different industries. They could learn from the best examples from around the world. By 1889, this division had collected over 10,000 objects!
In the early 1900s, the art and industry collection was mostly used for teaching. Items were often loaned to art schools. Some collections even traveled around the country in special boxes, called the Circulation Collection. This was very popular, but it stopped during World War I and never started again.
The museum also held exhibitions, like one called Applications of Art and Industry. This show featured local crafts such as enamel work, lace, and tapestries. From 1908, the museum started to focus more on collecting items that were "distinctly Irish."
Changes After Independence: 1922–1988
After Ireland became independent in 1922, the museum, now called the National Museum of Ireland, had less money. It also lost some of its display areas when Leinster House became the new Irish parliament.
From this time, the art and industry division started collecting items about Irish military and political history. The museum held its first exhibition about the Easter Rising in 1932. The objects from this show became the heart of what's now known as the Easter Week Collection. This was the museum's first collection about recent events and specific themes. People often donated or loaned items for this collection.
In the 1930s, a man named Albert Bender from San Francisco gave a huge and important collection of Asian art to the museum. Even though other big museums like the Louvre wanted it, Bender chose the Irish museum. He donated these items from 1932 to 1937 to honor his mother. A special room was even named after her.
Moving to Collins Barracks: 1988–Present
In 1988, the Irish government decided to close Collins Barracks as a military base. In 1993, it was agreed that the National Museum of Ireland would take over the site. This was part of a bigger plan to make that area of Dublin city better. The museum became the main part of a new "museum quarter." A new tram line, called the Luas, was also built to make it easier to get to the museum.
It took three years and a lot of money to get the Collins Barracks ready for the museum. The museum officially opened there in September 1997. Many objects that had been stored away for years were finally put on display. The new site also got a lecture theater, a restaurant, and education rooms. It even has the museum's special lab for fixing old items and its main offices. In its first year, 200,000 people visited the museum!
The museum has continued to grow and improve. Old army living quarters were turned into long exhibition spaces, keeping the original staircases. In 2018, nearly 200,000 people visited the museum.
In 2021, a pair of slippers from the museum's collection became very famous online! They belonged to Michael Collins, a very important Irish leader. His friend donated them in 1958. These bright blue slippers with a wolf head pattern got a lot of attention. They have never been shown to the public, but there are now plans to make gifts based on them.
Amazing Things to See
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The museum has many cool displays. You can see Irish coins, fancy silverware, furniture, and beautiful Asian art. There are also exhibits on Irish daily life, old costumes, pottery, and glass. Other permanent shows include What's In Store?, Out of Storage, Irish Silver Exhibition, and Irish Country Furniture.
In 2021, the museum announced a new gallery about the 20th century. It is planned to open in 2023. This will celebrate 100 years since the Irish Free State was founded.
Soldiers and Chiefs: Ireland's Military Story
The Soldiers and Chiefs exhibition tells the story of Irish military history from 1550 to today. It opened in 2005 and covers a huge area. The exhibition shows how military life changed in Ireland over time. It also highlights the role of Irish soldiers in armies around the world, even in modern-day peacekeeping missions with the United Nations.
One special item in this exhibit is The Stokes Tapestry. It was even featured in a list of "A History of Ireland in 100 Objects." The hat that Michael Collins wore when he was shot was once on display. However, it was removed in 2005 for conservation reasons and the nature of the object. Michael Collins' coat from that day is still on display.
Other galleries focus on Irish military history, especially marking 100-year anniversaries of events like World War I and the Easter Rising.
Proclaiming a Republic: The 1916 Rising
This exhibition is all about the Easter Rising of 1916. It opened in 2016 to mark 100 years since the event. The show uses over 15,000 objects from the museum's Easter Week Collection.
This was the museum's eighth exhibition on the Easter Rising. It features many objects that had never been shown before. The exhibition is set up in 10 zones, following the events of the Rising. It also looks at how the Rising still affects Ireland today. You can see items directly linked to the leaders of the Rising, like the shirt of James Connolly.
The Way We Wore: Irish Fashion Through Time
This exhibition, which opened with the museum in 1997, is called 250 Years of Irish Clothing and Jewellery. It shows clothes and jewelry made in Ireland from the 1760s to the 1960s. When it first opened, it was the biggest and most expensive exhibition of historical costumes in Ireland.
The exhibition mostly features clothes from wealthier people in Irish society, as these were often better preserved. It also includes outfits worn by the wives of Irish presidents. The clothes are displayed on simple mannequins, with stories about each outfit. You can see military uniforms, formal dresses, and unique designs from famous Irish designers.
Eileen Gray: A Design Star
In 2000, the museum bought a large collection of works from the famous designer and architect Eileen Gray. These items were from her own apartment in Paris and included personal objects, furniture, and models. They are now on permanent display, showing off her most famous furniture designs.
Curator's Choice: Special Picks
The Curator's Choice exhibition features 25 objects picked by experts from across the museum's different areas. You can see things like King William's gloves from the Battle of the Boyne. There's also a small book that belonged to Wolfe Tone when he was held prisoner. Another interesting item is a Chinese porcelain vase from around 1300 AD, known as the Fonthill Vase.
A Dubliner's Collection of Asian Art: The Albert Bender Exhibition
The collection of Albert Bender was put back on display at Collins Barracks in 2008. This collection was first shown in the 1930s. Bender was an Irish-born man who moved to San Francisco and made a lot of money in insurance.
The exhibition shows a selection of the 260 Asian art objects Bender donated. One of the most important parts is a set of rare thangkas, which are Buddhist tapestries from 18th-century Tibet. There are also many Japanese woodblock prints, Chinese metalwork, and religious figures.
Special Temporary Exhibitions
The museum often hosts special temporary exhibitions in a large area called the Riding School. This space opened in 2005. For example, in 2007, replicas of six Irish High Crosses were shown there. In 2019, there was a temporary exhibition of 100 photos of Ireland in the 1950s by Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Dead Zoo at Large: Animals on the Move
In 2009 and 2010, some animal specimens from the Natural History Division of the museum were temporarily moved to the Riding School. This happened while the main Natural History museum was closed for repairs.
(A)Dressing Our Hidden Truths: Exploring Difficult Histories
In March 2019, the museum opened an exhibition called (A)Dressing Our Hidden Truths. It explores difficult parts of Ireland's past and the experiences of people in certain institutions. The exhibition features works by artists like Alison Lowry. It was praised for its important themes.
Collecting Modern History
The museum started a new way of collecting items in the mid-2010s. They began collecting things very quickly in response to big events in Irish culture. The first big event they collected from was the vote on marriage equality in 2015. The museum collected posters and other items from both sides of the campaign. They even asked the public to donate items using social media.
As part of this collection, government minister Katherine Zappone donated her wedding dress to the museum in 2018. In 2019, Rory O'Neill, also known as the drag performer Panti Bliss, donated the dress he wore for an important speech about homophobia. This new way of collecting helped the museum create a formal policy for collecting modern items in 2019.
Gallery
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Exhibit of military history objects
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Museum corridor
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The only extant Ashworth pillar box and oldest in Ireland introduced by Anthony Trollope
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Display of Japanese armour
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Michael Collins' slippers
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Out of Storage permanent exhibition
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