One of my favorite museums in Dublin, and one that I have visited often, is the National Museum of Ireland. Today I showed some English friends the joys of the museum.
If you are a lover of history, I would highly recommend going to the National Museum. It is brilliant! The museum is huge, with two large floors filled from top to bottom with artifacts from the ancient world.
At the entrance of the museum starts the history of early Ireland. This tells of the early people in Ireland and how they lived. You can even see a boat that they used for transportation.
And if you are talking about Ireland, you can't forget about the Vikings. The museum has a whole section dedicated to Viking Ireland, even with an informational video. In this section you can see a Viking grave with a skeleton. You will also learn about the trade of the Vikings.
One of my favorite sections is the history of Christianity. This display is on the second floor of the museum and has many artifacts from churches and tells of their significance. All the pieces are beautiful and are displayed well.
One thing that I have become very interested while I have been in Ireland is the Hill of Tara. This place plays such an important role in Irish mythology as well as the history of Ireland. At the National Museum of Ireland, there is a small section dedicated to the history of the Hill of Tara. Whether you can go to the Hill of Tara or not on your stay in Ireland, you should check out this section to learn more.
The Bog Bodies were definitely one of my favorite things about the museum. I learned about Bog Bodies at my time working at an Ancient Egyptian museum by my house. These people were naturally mummified by bogs that are found around Ireland and in Northern Europe. These people were buried in the bogs and over time, the bogs naturally preserved the bodies by keeping out moisture. It seems that most of these people did not meet a peaceful death. The museum has 4 Bog Bodies on display. YOU MUST SEE THEM!
My favorite section of the National Museum has nothing to do with Ireland. The museum has a small Ancient Egyptian section. The Ancient Egyptian section is on the second floor of the museum and it is very dark, which is good because it is for the betterment of the artifacts. There you will see two mummies in their coffin as well as displays of jewelry, pottery, shabtis (servant figures), learn about their language and various other items from Ancient Egypt.
The museum has an excellent gift shop, which you see once you enter. You can get something from each section of history that you visit. Admission is FREE, so there is really no reason why you can't go :). For a cheap price, they have guided tours of certain sections of the museum that you can go on to learn more.
I can't recommend this place enough. I have gone multiple times and each time I enjoy myself! Certainly a place for history lovers!
Bog Body 
Bog Body
This gives me hope that there are museums that actually know what they're doing when it comes to preserving human remains. SO bummed I didn't make it here, but it gives me an excuse to go back!
ReplyDeleteI was happy that the well being of the artifacts were being considered first over what a visitor would want.
ReplyDeleteI would die if I was able to work there! It would be so epic!
And there is always a reason to go to Ireland! Guinness should be reason enough ;). I honestly believe that if I didn't work at the museum than I probably wouldn't care as much for the National Museum. So thankful that I have this new, profound appreciation for museums!