Museum of Natural History

Natural History Museum, photo by bering

Known to generations of Dubliners as the “Dead Zoo”, this is a perennial rainy day favourite with kids.

Most of the collection dates from Victorian times, a period when killing and stuffing endangered wild animals, stealing nests and eggs and accumulating eccentric collections of objects from nature were very popular and respectable pursuits.

Some of the animals are incredibly life like and that they have survived so long is testament to the Victorians’ skills at taxidermy.

The museum itself is something of a museum piece – it’s largely unaltered since Victorian times. Sadly this was partly to blame for the fact that it is currently closed to the public after an old staircase suddenly collapsed in 2007. Renovations are underway and it should be back in action during 2009.

What You’ll See

There are about 10,000 animals on display drawn from a collection of more than 2 million specimens, with highlights including an exbibition of animals native to Ireland and the Invertebrates Exhibition, full of creey-crawlies and especially loved by small boys!

The Irish room includes some ancient and sadly now extinct animals, such as the Great Irish Deer, as well as more recent arrivals, such as mink, originally imported for fur farming but now plentiful in the wild.

One of my personal favourites is the display of nests in the lower vertebrates section, they are so exquisitely constructed and made from such an amazing variety of materials.

There are regular special events, tours and lectures, with a particular emphasis on family activities. Guided tours, which take about 45 minutes are an excellent way to get an overview of the museum,  and are led by enthusiastic, knowledgeable and entertaining guides.

Visiting the Museum

The museum is open all year from 10am to 5pm Tuesday to Saturday and from 2pm to 5pm on Sundays. It is within easy walking distance of all parts of Dublin city centre.

A visit of 1-2 hours will give you a good flavour of the place and Dubliners are not wrong – it is a great place to take kids when the weather turns nasty.

Museum Website