Dublin's museums are defined by their national institutions, and the oldest among them still carry the most weight. The National Gallery of Ireland dates from 1854, the National Library of Ireland from 1877, and the Royal Hibernian Academy, which is an art school, museum and society at once, from 1823. Kilmainham Gaol is a former prison and a National monument of Ireland, and the Chester Beatty Library sits inside Dublin Castle. Two picks are further out: the James Joyce Tower and Museum on Sandycove Point and the Irish Museum of Modern Art on Military Road. We put this list together for travellers who would trade a few hours of shopping for galleries, reading rooms and cells, and for families who want something lighter, like Dublinia or the folk museum on Jervis Street. Check opening times before you go, because Saturdays are short at the library, which closes at 12:45, and IMMA lists no Monday hours.
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1 National Library of Ireland
7/8 Kildare Street, D02 P638A heritage institution dating from 1877, open until 19:45 from Monday to Wednesday
At 7/8 Kildare Street, in the D02 P638 postcode, the National Library of Ireland stays open until 19:45 from Monday to Wednesday. Don't write it off as a place for researchers with a reader's card: it dates from 1877, is classed as a heritage institution, and a curious visitor should treat it that way. The week is lopsided on hours, because Thursday and Friday close at 16:45, and Saturday ends at 12:45 after a 09:30 start. A weekday evening is the best time to go, when the long early-week hours leave room to linger. Check https://www.nli.ie/ for anything on the day.
Dates from 1877
Hours: Mo-We 09:30-19:45; Th-Fr 09:30-16:45; Sa 09:30-12:45
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2 National Gallery of Ireland
89 Merrion Square West, DublinThursday late opening until 20:30 at an art museum dating from 1854
The National Gallery of Ireland, an art museum whose history runs back to 1854, is at 89 Merrion Square West, and Thursday is the evening to aim for: the gallery stays open until 20:30, giving you the rooms at their most relaxed. The rest of the week, Tuesday to Saturday opens at 09:15, while Sunday and Monday start at 11:00. Most days the galleries close at 17:30, so that Thursday window is the one that lets you set your own pace. Skip the weekend crush if you can, and check https://www.nationalgallery.ie before you go.
Dates from 1854
Hours: Su,Mo 11:00-17:30; Tu,We,Fr,Sa 09:15-17:30; Th 09:15-20:30
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3 Chester Beatty Library
Dublin Castle, Dublin, D02 AD92A library and museum in one, inside Dublin Castle since 1950
The Chester Beatty Library, set within Dublin Castle at D02 AD92, has been a library and a museum at once since 1950, and that double identity is what makes it worth a proper block of time. On a weekday the doors open at 10:00 and close at 17:00; weekends start later, with Saturday opening at 11:00 and Sunday not until 13:00. Give it a full morning rather than squeezing it in between other stops, and you get the quiet of a reading room and the pleasure of a gallery under one roof.
Dates from 1950
Hours: Mo-Fr 10:00-17:00; Sa 11:00-17:00; Su 13:00-17:00
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4 National Museum of Ireland
Kildare StreetA national museum dating from 1877, spread across Dublin and Castlebar
The National Museum of Ireland dates from 1877 and its Dublin address is Kildare Street. The National Library of Ireland shares that 1877 date and the same street, so a single Kildare Street morning covers both. The museum spreads across Dublin and Castlebar, which means the Kildare Street building is one door into a larger institution, not the whole of it. We have not verified its opening hours, so check http://www.museum.ie before you set out. Once you are inside, slow down: a national collection rewards a visitor who reads the labels.
Dates from 1877
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5 Kilmainham Gaol
Inchicore Road, Dublin, D08RK28A former prison and National monument of Ireland, open daily from 09:30
Kilmainham Gaol on Inchicore Road, D08RK28, opens at 09:30 every day and takes visitors until 18:00. A former prison and a National monument of Ireland, it rewards anyone who arrives ready for a sober hour rather than a quick photograph. We'd go for the 09:30 opening and beat the afternoon crowds: an empty corridor in a gaol carries a weight that no caption can replicate. It opens seven days a week, which makes it the easiest of the heavyweight sites to work into a tight schedule. Check https://kilmainhamgaolmuseum.ie/ for any changes before you travel.
National monument of Ireland
Hours: Mo-Su 09:30-18:00
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6 Irish Museum of Modern Art
Military Road, Dublin, D08 FW31Dublin's art museum from 1991, open Saturdays from 10:00
Founded in 1991, the Irish Museum of Modern Art sits on Military Road in D08 FW31. As an art museum and the youngest of the big art names here, it's the one worth saving for when the older galleries start to feel the same. Monday is a non-starter: no hours are listed for that day. From Tuesday to Friday the doors open at 11:30, Saturday starts earliest at 10:00, and Sunday and public holidays open at 12:00, with every day closing at 17:30. A Saturday morning gives you the most time.
Dates from 1991
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7 Guinness Storehouse
St. James's GateThe Guinness name presented as a museum at its St. James's Gate address since 2000
Expect a crowd at the Guinness Storehouse, St. James's Gate, where the doors open at 09:30 and close at 17:00 every day. It is a museum and visitor attraction and dates from 2000. The case for going is the address itself: plenty of bars pour the same pint, but this is where the brand tells its own story as a museum at St. James's Gate. Avoid the queue-heavy middle of the day and be there for the 09:30 opening; you will see the exhibits rather than the backs of heads. Book through https://www.guinness-storehouse.com.
Dates from 2000
Hours: Mo-Su 09:30-17:00
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8 James Joyce Tower and Museum
Sandycove PointA museum dating from 1962, open daily from 10:00 to 18:00
Out at Sandycove Point, the James Joyce Tower and Museum opens at 10:00 and closes at 18:00 every day, a museum dating from 1962. The trip out is part of the point. Locals treat it as a destination for a slow afternoon, not one more box to tick between city-centre stops, and those daily hours make it a reliable fallback when the national institutions are closed or keeping short hours. Come with a book in your bag and you will get the most from it. Check https://joycetower.ie/ before you set out.
Dates from 1962
Hours: Mo-Su 10:00-18:00
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9 Dublinia
St Michaels Hill Christ Church, Dublin 8A museum dating from 1993, open daily until 18:30
Dublinia sits at St Michaels Hill Christ Church, Dublin 8, a museum dating from 1993 that closes at 18:30 every day. Those consistent hours make it one of the more forgiving entries here for a family that cannot plan around midweek opening times, and for children who have had enough of quiet gallery rooms it is a far better rainy-afternoon plan than a shopping centre. Arrive at the 10:00 opening when it is still calm, and keep the afternoon free for something slower. Details are at http://dublinia.ie.
Dates from 1993
Hours: Mo-Su 10:00-18:30
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10 Royal Hibernian Academy
15 Ely Place Upper, DublinAn art school, museum and society in one, dating from 1823
The gallery at 15 Ely Place Upper belongs to the Royal Hibernian Academy, an art school, museum and society in one, dating from 1823. What sets it apart from a straightforward gallery is that the same institution teaches art and debates it, so you are looking at work inside a place that still has strong opinions about it. Don't wait for a blockbuster. The pleasure here is a smaller room you can see properly in under an hour, and we haven't verified its hours, so check http://www.rhagallery.ie before you walk over.
Dates from 1823
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11 Hugh Lane Gallery
22 Parnell Square North, DublinAn art gallery on Parnell Square North dating from 1908
The Hugh Lane Gallery, at 22 Parnell Square North, is worth an unhurried hour. It is an art gallery that dates from 1908, which puts it among the older art institutions on this list, and it is not worth the rush: a gallery like this pays back slow looking far more than a quick lap that ticks off the famous rooms. Pair the visit with a walk around the square, then come back to whatever held your eye. We have no verified opening hours for it, so confirm the day's times before you set out for number 22.
Dates from 1908
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12 National Leprechaun Museum
Jervis Street, DublinA folk museum from 2010, open daily from 10:00 to 18:30
On Jervis Street, the National Leprechaun Museum opens at 10:00 and stays open until 18:30 every day. Skip the souvenir-shop leprechauns sold all over the city: this is a folk museum, and the reason to visit is the folklore, not the green hats. It dates from 2010, which makes it the newest venue on this list and the lightest in tone, and a fair pick for families or anyone who has had their fill of national collections. The daily hours make it easy to fit in. Check http://www.leprechaunmuseum.ie/ before you go.
Dates from 2010
Hours: Mo-Su 10:00-18:30
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