Things to do in Dublin, Province of Leinster: The Best History Museums

Visit the National Library of Ireland (NLI), where Ireland’s story is an open book. Enjoy the NLI’s lively programme of events and exhibitions, consult its collections, get help tracing your family tree and drop by Café Joly for a quick coffee or relaxing lunch. Particular highlights at the main library buildings on Kildare Street are the award-winning Yeats exhibition, and moving World War Ireland exhibition. The NLI’s National Photographic Archive, where regular exhibitions explore Irish life through remarkable photographs, is situated in Temple Bar. All locations are FREE to visit and within a short walking distance of the Grafton Street shopping area and St. Stephens Green.

The brave, the bold and the desperate. Follow in the footsteps those who fled the Famine. The Jeanie Johnston tells the story of the thousands of Irish people who fled the Famine and embarked on a treacherous voyage in the hope of a better life in North America. Step on board and you will be transported back in time to join them on their gruelling journey. The tour takes approximately 50 minutes and is led by one of our knowledgeable guides. The tour begins with a walk around the upper deck, where you will see the majestic masts, admire the craftsmanship and learn about the ship’s history. Located on Custom House Quay, just past EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum and the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel.

The National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology is the national repository for all archaeological objects found in Ireland and home to over two million artefacts. Permanent Exhibitions: Our exhibitions include the finest collection of prehistoric gold artefacts in western Europe, outstanding examples of metalwork from the Celtic Iron Age and the Museum’s world-renowned collection of medieval ecclesiastical objects and jewellery. The Treasury: Ór - Ireland's Gold, Prehistoric Ireland, Kingship and Sacrifice, Viking Ireland, Medieval Ireland, Ancient Egypt, Ceramics and Glass from Ancient Cyprus, Life and Death in the Roman World. There is also a number of Temporary Exhibitions taking place.

Discover the amazing story of Dublin in this quirky museum on St Stephen's Green. Our famous 29-minute guided tours are a celebration of great Irish storytelling. You will learn about our history, you will laugh a lot and you will meet some of the friendliest people in Ireland. Please note that the museum is small and most of our tours sell out quickly.

City Hall was built between 1769 and 1779. The build took ten years to complete. When they decided to build City Hall a competition was advertised and 62 submissions were made. The winner of this Competition was Thomas Cooley, a young architect from London. At the time, James Gandon would have been the primary architect in Dublin, but his designs came second in the competition. Thomas Cooley was also tendered to build the Four Courts, however at 44 years of age, he fell ill and died and therefore James Gandon became the primary architect in the building of the Four Courts. If you look to the ceiling you will see that there is a stained glass dome, initially this was meant to be left open, in the same vein as the Pantheon, however given that we are in Ireland and it rains so often, they decided to cover it in. The stone work was done by a German man called Simon Vierpyl, and the stuccodore responsible for the gilded work was a man called Charles Thorpe. Initially when City Hall was built, it was built as The Royal Exchange. This was where you would have come to exchange Irish Punt into English Sterling. This was where merchants and guildsmen gathered to discuss their trading affairs. If you look out the West door onto Castle Street, that was where the banks were located and if you look out the windows to the east, where the trading happened. Over by the Olympia Theatre was where debts were collected. This really was an epicentre of trade in Dublin for the later part of the 18th Century. The Wide Streets Commission used the building in the late 1780s and 1790s to meet to discuss the planning of the city. If you walk around the outer ring of the Rotunda, you will notice that there is a distinct echo, this was done intentionally. When Thomas Cooley was designing the building, he designed it so that the echo would muffle private conversations that were had when walking around the room. Upstairs, in what are now the Council Chambers, there were coffee rooms. Coffee House Culture in the Dublin in the 18th and 19th Century was quite popular. Coffee was a luxury item and therefore very expensive to buy, and this made it very fashionable in those days. In 1800 the Act of Union was introduced and this had a devastating effect on the economy in Dublin, and by 1827 the currency was amalgamated. The building fell into disuse and was then rented out. This was actually where O’Connell gave his first public address on the Act of Union and it is one of his most famous addresses. In 1852 this building was bought by Dublin City Council, and they had partitions put up for privacy. Since then, in 1998- 2000 Dublin City Council restored the building to it’s original state as part of a refurbishment plan for the millennium.