National Museum of Ireland - Natural History

While in Dublin , we decided to pop into the National Museum of Ireland - Natural history. Currently only the groundfloor and first floor of the museum are open to the public, the two upper floors are closed for safety reasons. But don't worry, you can visit the floors through a 3D virtual visit on the website.

So what is the museum about? The museum showcases a comprehensive zoological collection . The museum is a thing of a fargone era, one where television didn't exist and people didn't go on farflung holidays where they would get to see exotic animals.
So how spectacular must it have been when the museum opened it's doors to  the public in 1857, and people could see actual elephants, giraffes,seals,...eventhough they are displayed in glass cabinets and were dead. For me, it is the building which makes this museum. I rather see animals alive than displayed in glass cabinets, but the collection on display is huge and is interesting nonetheless.
When you walk into the groundfloor hall, you are straightaway greeted by 2 huge Irish Elk skeletons.

In the museum, there is something new to see around each corner. From the basking shark suspended from the ceiling to the butterflies to the cute seals, you find them all. And like I said before, for me it is the building which really sets this museum apart. From the old wooden/glass display cabinets to the solid wooden creaking floorboards, this museum is old.

On the first floor, it is even more spectacular (in a creepy way). The beautiful crafted balconies and glass roof can't hide the 100's of animal heads on display on the walls. The large whale bones suspended from the ceiling are huge, nonetheless the moose, giraffe and elephant stand out due to their imposing height.

The museum of Ireland - natural history is worth a visit, one which will appeal to children. The building itself is fabulous , and we forgot to mention that this museum is free as well.