It’s time to take a trip through some of Ireland’s greatest art collections and historical moments on these virtual museum and gallery tours.
Long Room at Trinity College
Bibliophiles will gaze at the impressive collection of books that are housed in the Library of Trinity College in Dublin. This famous library is not only renowned for its collection of over 200,000 works, some of the world’s oldest books, but also for the architecture of the Long Room.
It was built between 1712 and 1732 and by 1860 the roof was raised to make room for even more books. Marble busts of the great philosophers and writers look on – Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Cicero, Isaac Newton, Plato, William Shakespeare, Socrates, Jonathan Swift to mention a few. You will also find the oldest harp of its kind in Ireland on display, which is the emblem of Ireland. The harp is made of oak and willow with 29 brass strings.
Take a look for yourself on this virtual tour.
Limerick’s Hunt Museum
Limerick’s Hunt Museum preserves and exhibits the countless original artefacts that were gathered by John and Gertrude Hunt over their lifetime. Expect to find everything from Irish pre-historic archaeological material to art from Pablo Picasso, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Roderic O’Conor, Jack B. Yeats, Robert Fagan and Henry Moore.
Other collections are also on display, such as 300 costumes from some of the most prestigious film productions shot in Ireland, including ‘In the name of the Father’, ‘Michael Collins’, ‘Calvary’, ‘The Queen’, ‘In Bruges’, ‘Braveheart’, ‘Breakfast on Pluto’, ‘Ripper Street’ and ‘Vikings’.
Take a virtual tour of the museum here.
Titanic Experience Cobh
On April 11th, 1912, the Titanic called to the port of Queenstown (now known as Cobh) on her maiden voyage. What happened next has been the subject of countless films and books.
The Titanic Experience Cobh is a visitor centre situated in the original White Star Line Ticket Office in the centre of the pretty town in Cork at what was the departure point for the last passengers who boarded the ship.
Step onboard to take the virtual tour here.
Natural History Museum of Ireland
Do you want to meet mammals, insects, birds and sealife of Ireland and the world? The National History Museum of Ireland, often referred to as ‘the Dead Zoo’, is just the place to do it in Dublin city centre. The museum holds two million specimens, including a dodo skeleton, an even rarer solitaire bird and a death’s-head hawkmoth.
Their virtual tour gives the opportunity to browse the ground floor which is full of Irish wildlife; the first floor with its many mammals of the world; the second floor full of fish, birds and reptiles; and the third floor with its insects, shells and corals.
Enjoy an afternoon browsing on their website.
Irish Museum of Modern Art
The Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) is nestled in 48 acres of land in the heart of Dublin 8, making it an extra special museum to visit. It is Ireland’s leading national institution for the collection and presentation of modern and contemporary art.
If you’re visiting Dublin when normal order resumes, join one of the guided tours and get to known IMMA and the exhibitions in more detail.
For now, as IMMA encourage us all to do on their Twitter account, stay home and look at art! Start here with a virtual tour of the museum.
