The National Gallery of Ireland is one of the country’s most popular visitor attractions. It houses the nation’s collection of European and Irish art from about 1300 to the present day, and an extensive library and archive.
Entry to the permanent collection, and many temporary exhibitions, is free for all. Open seven days a week, the Gallery is conveniently located in Dublin City centre, a short stroll from Trinity College and Merrion Square.
Free guided tours are available at weekends. Family packs and drawing and creative writing kits are available to borrow for free. Facilities include a shop, café, and wheelchair access to all levels.
Some temporary exhibitions need to be booked in advance and have an admission charge, but there are discounts and special offers available.
Take a look at the Gallery website in advance of your visit for full details.
- Ludovico Mazzolino: The Crossing of the Red Sea
Family funLudovico Mazzolino: The Crossing of the Red Sea An exhibition showcasing extensive scientific and conservation work on a sixteenth century masterpiece at the National Gallery of Ireland.
- Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone. The Art of Friendship
Family funMainie Jellett and Evie Hone. The Art of Friendship The second major exhibition of 2025 is dedicated to the pioneering Irish modernists Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone, and will bring together 90 of their works of art.
- Drawing the Collection: Cubist Works
Arts and cultureDrawing the Collection: Cubist Works Join artist Antonio D'Souza for a unique Drawing the Collection workshop, where he takes inspiration from the works of Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone.
- Public Tour: Interactive Storytelling
Free things to doPublic Tour: Interactive Storytelling Make your Gallery visits more fun and engaging with curious questions and creative storytelling! In this tour we use easy exercises and improv games that explore how we look at, speak about and interact with art in a variety of ways.
- Drawing the Collection: Cubist Works
Arts and cultureDrawing the Collection: Cubist Works Join artist Antonio D'Souza for a unique Drawing the Collection workshop, where he takes inspiration from the works of Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone.
- Public Tour: Comedy
Arts and culturePublic Tour: Comedy Join Underthings - Improv, an improv and sketch duo, for a tour of the National Gallery of Ireland with a twist!
- Sunday Family Drop-in Workshop at National Gallery of Ireland
Family funSunday Family Drop-in Workshop at National Gallery of Ireland Explore your creative side in the National Gallery’s iconic Shaw Room at this drop-in family workshop.
- Sketching Tour of Mainie Jellett & Evie Hone
Arts and cultureSketching Tour of Mainie Jellett & Evie Hone Explore Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone. The Art of Friendship through this engaging sketching tour, incorporating rich historical information, art appreciation and lightly facilitated tuition.
Call into Sweny's Pharmacy in Lincoln Place immortalised in James Joyce’s Ulysses, still selling the famous lemon soap as bought by Leopold Bloom in chapter five of Ulysses.
