National Museum expansion at Collins Barracks

The public spaces at the National Museum of Ireland's Collins Barracks location in Dublin feature an expanded exhibition called Changing Ireland Galleries, which includes several objects from County Kildare, writes Brian Byrne. These include Can’t lose Cant, created by writers, artists, and children from the Mincéirí/Traveller Community in the county, and the Full and Plenty cookery book by Maura Laverty from Rathangan (1960 edition). 

It is the largest expansion of the public galleries at this location in twenty years, with exhibits that will be regularly changed and rotated. The new galleries represent a complete refurbishment of a section of Collins Barracks that had remained untouched since the Defence Forces left nearly thirty years ago. The initiative displays hundreds of political, social, and cultural objects from the Museum’s collections of the 20th and 21st centuries — extraordinary and everyday artefacts from the past 150 years. Visitors are encouraged to reflect on these objects and consider the question “Cad Is Ann Éire Dar Leat?” – “What Is Ireland to You?” 

New artistic commissions, including poetry by Paula Meehan, are integrated across 426 square metres of interconnected rooms, providing an additional dimension for visitors. 

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence, Simon Harris, TD, officially opened the new galleries recently. Admission is free.

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