Museum Exhibits: Four Million Artifacts
Visit the wide array of National Museum items on display at various locations

by Suzanne Barrett

Dublin is the main location of a well-visited museum that displays up to four million historical artefacts, and Irish car hire users looking to view the wide collections may like to pay a visit to the National Museum of Ireland. However, the wide array of items exhibited by the attraction are spread among four different locations. Three are located within the city, while the fourth lies 240 kilometres from Dublin near Turlough Village, County Mayo. Visitors to the various complexes are greeted with a stunning array of items that have been collected by the museum since it launched in 1877, when it took receipt of a collection of antique Irish coins and other historical artefacts.

Over time, the museum has expanded and now has its individual sites devoted to several areas, including archaeology, decorative arts and history, natural history and country life - the last of which can be viewed at the County Mayo building. There is much to interest holidaymakers keen to view exhibits that hail from Ireland's past and those from overseas. For a glimpse into the artistic crafts that have been created in the Emerald Isle, visitors can attend the Art and Industry building located in Dublin's Collins Barracks. Here, they can learn the interesting history of the site itself, which was home to troops for 300 years.

In addition, there is much to see, including exquisite glassworks and many other works of art that have been made from a variety of materials, such as metals, lace and ceramics. The building also has a section devoted to the transport methods used in the past, where visitors can view original 19th Century carriages.

Moving on from here, day trippers can step back into the mists of time when ancient man walked the earth. Located just a short trip from Collins Barracks, the museum's Archaeology building located in Kildare Street boasts over two million objects, with some hailing from the stone age. Gold jewellery and ornaments from Viking and Medieval periods are likely to amaze visitors, as are items created in Roman and Classical Egyptian times.

Due to reopen next year, the Natural History exhibit in the city is undergoing renovation. Once the works are completed visitors can marvel at the many animal specimens on show that offer insights into nature and the many animals that inhabit the plant. Drivers to County Mayo are free to stop off at the attraction's Country Life exhibit, which takes a detailed look at Irish culture and lifestyles from the Great Famine until the 1950s. Here visitors can learn and see items that have helped to shape the lives of Irish people. Exhibits feature information and items related to the country's religion, agricultural practices and sports and leisure pursuits.

Until next time.