Absolutely fantastic collection of Irish historical finds…read more The bogs of Ireland preserved things such as fish traps, textiles, lots of gold jewelry, and, most notably, some human beings. The acidic and anaerobic nature of the peat bog was so effective at preserving these bodies that we even knew what the men had been eating. And even more interesting - the methods that had been used to MURDER them so long ago. Because these men had not just randomly fallen into the bog, oh no; there are all sorts of things to learn including why the nipples were cut off! But I will refrain from going in to more detail. If you are interested, and are in Dublin, you MUST go there yourself. It is free so you have no excuse not to. Well, unless you are not interested in things such as I described here. Whatever. Note: there is not a cafe in the museum, and no storage lockers for your bag. Also, I thought the gift shop was pretty boring as it had very few things that were relevant to the museum displays. Which is disappointing as the museum artifacts themselves are very local and specific to Ireland and are extremely interesting.

Wonderful museum. It is in the smaller side and a bit dark but it feels cozy somehow…read more The exhibitions tell a story of the history of Ireland. I wanted to visit to view the big bodies and I was not disappointed. They also had hordes of gold in display which were surrounded by beautiful jewelry. The museum is free.

This was quite the delightful museum in one of the main churches in downtown Kilkenny. We made an…read moreappointment for a tour, a couple weeks ahead of time, it had a very nice time seeing the grounds. As with most places in Ireland, there is an incredible amount of history that had occurred just in the immediate vicinity. We learned about the history of the church, the area, the people who had built it, and the people who have kept it running. There were some pretty amazing artifacts that had come from the grounds, primarily during renovations, and some incredibly ornate headstones. The whole tour lasted about an hour, was contained within the church and the courtyard, and there were also some fun Legos that were hidden throughout the place that kept our kids entertained. Don't forget to go in the upper room. It has a beautiful view out to the city! All in all, this is a great spot and well worth your time.

Nice self guided your for the price. There were lots of tombs and old artifacts as well as two…read moreskeletal remains on display. It is not crowded like many other places either.

Great little museum! I visited the museum of childhood last…read morehalloween with my 9 year old niece, and 11 year old nephew - they loved it - so did I. Not really suitable for very young kids, 'cos they want to touch and play with the toys (some of which are hundred of years old). Tara's Palace itself is stunning - full of miniature antiques - the tiny books in the library are actually real books. I could have spent the day there, but my niece and nephew wanted to go to the playground (which is out of this world). All in all, we had a fantastic day out - thoroughly recommend a visit.

Tara's Palace Museum of Childhood has moved to Powerscourt House, Enniskerry, County Wicklow. We…read morevisited the museum a couple of years ago What a treat ! The entire family loved it. The kids loved the quiz - they had to find answers to questions about exhibits in the museum. The grand parents were in their element reminiscing about bygone days. It has has antique toys, models, miniatures and dolls houses. Tara's Palace is amazing - a 20 room palace full of the most incredible miniature antiques.

Came here to check out the Medieval Museum. It's part of a larger group of exhibits that you can…read moredo, but we only did this one. Starts off in a cavern that served as a wine cellar, then you make your way up to several floors of medieval times exhibits. The day we went the elevator wasn't working so you had to take the narrow set of stairs to get up and down, which made it very busy when there was a school field trip going through. Overall it's a nice exhibit. You have to enjoy history if you want to enjoy museums typically. The surrounding area around the museum is also nice to check out.

Came here to visit the medieval museum, not realizing there were several other sections. Only went…read moreinto the medieval one and it had several levels to view. The lift was out of order so some climbing was involved, but nothing too bad. There were short films to watch and a variety of items, including primary documents. Good to visit if you like history and reading about the different things. Only walked the other museums but you can pay to visit all of them, too.

Victor's way sculpture park is worth the small fee and worth the stop. Some of the exhibits are…read moredark ... like zombies ect and some are Indian . Either way found it interesting. Plus I enjoyed walking in the woods and hearing the birds I wish I could have spent more time and did more photography with the nature and birds also. This was our first day in Ireland and we had a long way to go to get to Cork where we were staying the night. But I'm glad we stopped by here and if you are interested in sculpture I hope you have the time to give it a look.

Magic. This place…read moreis a true gem. The Indian Sculpture Park, or Victoria's Way, is a 22 acre park that includes small lakes, forested areas, a "philosophy maze" of messages on wooden signposts, and of course, a large collection of fabulous granite and bronze sculptures. The sculptures range in size from 5ft to 15ft tall. The sculptures are a beautiful fusion of Indian spiritual beliefs, philosophical concepts, humour and playfulness, and amazing craftsmanship. I was genuinely blown away and moved by the whole experience of being in this wonderful place. Victor Langheld, the owner and curator, advises that the park is ideally visited at the age of 28 (or over!). Take from that what you will :) I don't want to say too much more about this park as I feel it is something to be experienced, not just to be read about. One of the most extraordinary places I have ever come across.

This isn't the most glamorous museum in Dublin, but it's worth a visit. If you really like seeing…read moreanimals from around the world, you can easily spend a couple hours here. It's several stories and a good way to pass the time between dining reservations, movie times, or just a rainy afternoon. The exhibits, of which there are over 10,000, are very old. The pelts on a lot of the animals are faded. A good portion of the animals were hunted, killed in a time when hunting wasn't as much of a hot button item (the museum was opened in 1857). I'm supremely creeped out by taxidermy, and there is an added level of creepiness and existentialism in viewing creatures that died up to 200 years ago. Still, it's a museum. The interest lies in seeing creatures native to Ireland, ones you haven't seen before, and ones you may never see again. It's not the happiest of museums to walk around in if you're sensitive to the plight of wild animals; however, you might just learn something, which I believe is the whole point of a museum.

Dublin has its fair share of museums that cater to many eclectic interests, but I have to say that…read morethe National Museum of Natural History really takes the cake for being one of the best. Not only is it free (thank you Irish tax payers!) but the sites inside are sort of incredible. Natural history buffs are going to enjoy all the different exhibits on both floors- some of which showcase species that have gone extinct like the giant Irish deer. You learn about the various creatures that once roamed this land and get a glimpse at how much evolution has changed the world. Mind you that it could feel a bit eerie inside given the amount of animals staring down at you, but it really places you in the heart of "Night at the Museum," which is totally what they were going for. Bring your family and stop by. It's certainly worth the half hour to at least roam the world inside!

The Famous Guided Tour at the Little Museum of Dublin is perfectly named. In just 30-ish minutes,…read moreGeorge delivered an awe-inspiring blend of storytelling, humor, and song that left me with a deeper appreciation for Ireland's rich history. I was completely intrigued by the number of stories packed into such a short tour, all made possible through the generosity by the people of Ireand who donated the museum's artifacts. The passion and pride of the staff shine through in every moment. This is an absolute cute, educational must-do experience in Dublin!

An old house from 1777 turned into a museum. Saul was an…read moreamazing tour guide. He had great energy w/ his storytelling & even danced a jig. Lots to see in this Little museum of history & pop culture. Prices were inexpensive as well. Guides can take tips too. Not a great place young kids.

This fantastic historic resource has almost had the chop a few times over the past few years (a bit…read morelike some of the past inmates heads come to think of it!) ... I sincerely hope it survives the impending draconian cuts about to be imposed by the muppets in charge of our green shore. Anyway, its one of the better tours on the southeast coast. The head Jailer starts out as your guide and welcomes you to the last stop before being committed to a torturous journey across the sea to hard labour in some far flung shore down under - in most cases in those days it was a one way ticket, a ticket the Jailer reminded me that could be had, for something as simple as catching a rabbit because your children were hungry.... The prison is a sombre place and manages to evoke deep feelings - take your time to really examine the artifacts - lift the lids of the wooden seat/beds and read the (genuine) inscriptions carved underneath as an epitaph by those who had a one way sailing... My tip for visiting this place is to call them well in advance - they sometimes have ghost evenings, pig roasts and wine evenings - it can only add to the atmosphere so well worth maximising your trip/time!

Wicklow Gaol, right in the heart of Wicklow town, is well worth a visit if you're in that part of…read morethe South East. You can journey through the Gaol on your own with the help of a very good interactive system (multimedia audio handsets are provided) which takes you way back in time to the 1700's. There are wonderful holographic projections of cruel prison guards with realistic sounds of cries from the 1798 rebels and other prisoners. Three prison floors have been transformed and actually preserved (with original graffiti still visible) to give a very good visual recreation of Irish History, spread over 200 years, through the eyes of the inmates. If you are a bit squeamish, then I would avoid the dungeon for here you will see the torture methods used, the horrid ill treatment of prisoners, lots of whom were incarcerated for petty crime such as stealing food and clothes etc. You will learn about the agonizing journey of prisoners, some as young as 11 years old, to Van Diemen's Land, experience the overcrowding and spread of dreadful and fatal diseases during the famine era, and also learn about the Irish War of Independence and the Civil War following which the Wicklow Gaol closed its prison doors for good. I understand the Museum caters for School tours and kids parties as well as spooky banquets for special occasions and nighttime tours.