The National Gallery of Ireland started out small, as national art museums go: it opened to the public holding just 112 art works.
That first opening of the National Gallery of Ireland was in 1864.
These days, though, there are more than sixteen thousand works in its holdings. Though it is less widely known than, say, The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam or The Prado in Madrid, it has a worthy collection of European master artists across the centuries and deep holdings in the works or Ireland’s painters and other creators of visual art.
Even if art galleries are not your usual hangout, there are good reasons to plan a visit to the National Gallery of Ireland . Here are three top ideas:
You will learn about Ireland from different perspectives.
The National Gallery of Ireland is home to the ESB Centre for the Study of Irish Art which houses the Gallery’s Irish art library and archive, with information on more than two thousand Irish artists and more than one thousand irish arts organizations.
In the collections on the gallery’s walls you will find art by artists of Ireland including Paul Henry, Anne Butler Yeats, Sarah Purser, William Orpen, Walter Osborne, Mary Swanzy, and Jack Yeats.
In addition to its holdings in Irish art, the gallery has works from major European artists, among them Vasquez, Goya, Vermeer, Picasso, Caravaggio, and Turner.
The gallery purchases items to add to its collections, of course, and another way some of these works have come to the National Gallery of Ireland is through gift or bequest.
Playwright George Bernard Shaw gave about a third of his estate, and the Leeson family of Russborough House in Wicklow gave enough to require the buildlng of a new wing to the museum to house the works.
Considering how and why the owners assembled their collections and how they chose what art work to pass along is another facet to the history of Ireland through art which the gallery helps to tell.
Whatever your age, you can enjoy ways to explore and enhance your own creativity.
The National Gallery of Ireland has a strong schedule of changing exhibits, talks, and tours. Often, several of these have to do with Irish history, legend, or landscape told through art.
There are also regular general and special interest tours ( a bit more about those below).
Not up for a tour? You are of course welcome to explore The National Gallery of Ireland on your own. That’s what I often do.
The gallery offers drawing and writing packs to take along if you’d like to work on your own creative inspirations as you go. There are creativity backpacks especially for younger children, too. All of these items may be borrowed at reception.
The shop. Books, art supplies, prints, cards, gift items, all sorts of things related to the gallery’s collections, in prices from inexpensive to high end.
I like looking through the wide range of books, finding our about things I’d never thought of in art and being reminded of old friends among art works and artists that I’d not thought of in some time.
I am not much of a shopper, but I do enjoy exploring the National Gallery of Ireland’s shop.
The National Gallery also has a cafe, near the shop. The hours there are often differ a bit from the main collections, too.
Be aware that the shop’s hours are often a bit shorter than the main gallery’s, so plan to give yourself time to explore.
More tips:
The National Gallery of Ireland is in Clare Street at Merrion Square, near to Leinster House, the home of the Dail and Seanad, the two houses of the Irish Parliament. Leinster House is a classic Georgian building, as are many of the once-residences-now-offices you’ll see around the square. You can schedule a tour of Leinster House if you wish and I will have more to say of it in future.
I’ve found the staff of the National Gallery of Ireland to be helpful and well
informed, and cheerful with it, too, The staff at reception in the foyer have given me spot-on directions to specific paintings many a time, even when the building was undergoing refurbishment and things were not in their usual places.
That reception staff is also a good source of gallery maps. They have brochures featuring highlights of the collections. and can fill you in on schedules for talks, torus, and other events that might be going on as well.
Get one of those maps; The National Gallery of Ireland is bigger than it may appear.
If there are accessibility needs, staff is also a good source of help and information as to what’s available. You may ask when you arrive, or contact the gallery in advance to let them know what’s needed.
Take advantage of any talks or tours that catch your interest. Note that there are special interest ones, including tours designed especially for new parents, for example, and for those hard of hearing.
The National Gallery of Ireland has an extensive online presence that’s good to explore, as well. You may order from the shop online also.
There is no cost to visit the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Ireland. Some temporary exhibits may carry a charge and require ticketing. Gallery hours are generally from mid morning until 5.30 in the afternoon, with late opening evenings on Thursdays.
If you enjoyed learning about the National Gallery of Ireland, you may also like reading about
A visit to The National Museum of Ireland: Archaeology
Collins Barracks, where you will find The National Museum of Ireland: Decorative Arts and History collections
Learn about the Top Seven Most Inspiring Museums in Ireland, among them ones featuring the Titanic, stories of emigration, the Book of Kells, and regional and local stories you may not have heard about
Tips about How to make sense of a big museum
Image of For the Road copyright of the estate of Jack Yeats and courtesy of The National Gallery of Ireland; image of gallery shop courtesy of The National Gallery of Ireland; gallery interior sequence of doors and gallery foyer by Kevin Higgins
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