Collins Barracks was an army base for some 200 years before being renovated for use as the National Museum. The network of tall, granite-faced buildings occupies an 18-acre site and retains an imposing, military air.
The site boasts a rich and varied history. Completed in 1704, it played an important role in suppressing uprisings over the centuries. Wolfe Tone, the founder and leading member of the United Irishmen, was court-martialled and imprisoned here after the 1798 Rebellion.
During the 1916 Easter Rising, troops based here tackled rebel positions on Usher’s Island, at the Four Courts, and in the GPO. It is also believed to have been the longest-serving army base in the world. The Irish Army moved out in 1997 before the site was renovated and taken over by the National Museum of Ireland.
National Museum of Ireland’s Decorative Arts and History houses two fascinating and completely diverse collections. Decorative arts encompasses silver, ceramics, glassware, furniture, clothing, jewellery and coins while the military history collection tells of Ireland’s military and revolutionary past.
The museum is just a 10-minute drive or a 30-minute walk from Hotel 7. Admission is free!
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