I Landed in Ireland (Part 5): Museums Galore in Dublin!

- June 30-July 1, 2026, Tuesday to Wednesday.

- Rise and shine, I'm back in Dublin! On my last two days in Dublin, I realized that most of the things left on my list of places to go to were museums. But I guess Dublin is quite creative when it comes to their museums, so each gave different experiences.

- One of the main things to do in Dublin is to visit the Book of Kells Experience at Trinity College Dublin. BOOK YOUR TICKETS ONLINE IN ADVANCE as it can get sold out very quickly! The Book of Kells is a Celtic Gospel book from the 9th century, and is handmade with much intricacy. It has been passed on through history until it was presented to Trinity College Dublin for safekeeping in 1661. Today, the actual book cannot be photographed inside the museum. However, replicas are available for photography, just like the Old Library's Long Room, located above the chamber where the Book of Kells is kept. The Long Room is itself a much-photographed landmark, especially with the floating Earth in the middle, an art installation from 2023 called "Gaia".

Trinity College.

With the Campanile and Graduates Memorial Building of Trinity College.

Old Library's Long Room.

Proclamation of the Irish Republic, a copy at least.

In a separate building, there is a lights-and-sounds exhibit supplementing the Book of Kells Experience.

- Around the corner from Trinity College is the National Museum of Ireland. This was established in the 1800s. The National Museum actually has several branches across the city, but I visited the one along Kildare Street. This one focuses on archaeology. The Natural History branch is supposed to be just behind the Archaeology branch, but it has been closed for renovations for a few years now. The other branches are located a but further away or in other cities in Ireland. 

Museum's dome.

Floor mosaic with the zodiac signs.

Ancient necklaces, which I would really like to have.

Museum halls.

Giant log canoe.

Replica of an ancient Viking fishing boat.

Mummy! The museum had an Egyptian gallery.

Museum facade.

- Behind the National Museum is the National Gallery. Also founded in the 1800s, it houses many prominent artworks across Europe. The museum layout was a bit confusing for me, but getting lost in the museum was a nice way to absorb the art.

National Gallery.

Medusa head on a shield.

Infinity.

I like this part of the gallery. It feels like a palace.

Monet!

Van Gogh!

Picasso!

- I spent the rest of the afternoon strolling around the city and eventually taking an early rest at the hostel.

I finally tried the Irish shortbread. It was so buttery!

- On my last morning in Dublin, I took some snaps of Temple Bar pub, which was just behind my hostel. The Temple Bar was so named not because of a temple, but after Sir William Temple, an educator who owned property in the area. The building was built in 1840. Since the current owners purchased the pub in the 90s, they have made the pub appear more Irish, now with its bright red color, and maintaining its fame for its wide selection of (alcoholic) drinks. I was not able to go inside as it is almost always too crowded. Despite this, the whole area is always bustling with life as there are many shops and equally-nice pubs. Moreover, the pub was the filming location of many films and music videos, including Ireland's 2018 Eurovision entry, "Together" by Ryan O'Shaugnessy (and I'm still bitter that it didn't win it was such a nice song!!)

Temple Bar Pub.

Sir William Temple.

Another side of Temple Bar Pub.

- One of the museums that caught my eye when I was planning for my trip was The Little Museum of Dublin. Located near St. Stephen's Green, this small museum houses items donated by people all over Dublin and collectively tell the story of Dublin's politics, history, and culture. The museum can only be accessed via a guided tour, but free time will be given afterwards to roam around for as long as one wishes.

Little Museum of Dublin.

This main room contained artefacts that were mostly related to the earlier years of Dublin, especially related to the fight for independence.

Uylsses.

A life-sized copy.

This one had more contemporary artefacts.

A room dedicated to U2.

Pretending to work for The Irish Times.

Finally got the room all to myself.

Another copy of the proclamation of the Irish Republic.

Yes it is not only one of the greatest, and biggest doll houses I have ever seen. But it is not the biggest in the world.

The last remaining Irish phone booth that works.

YES OMG THERE IS A DIAL TONE.

Another copy of the Book of Kells.

- The last major thing I did in Dublin was to, strange enough (pun intended, maybe?), a visit to the Museum of Curiosities. Opened just in late 2025, this small museum can be found along Pembroke Street and a few small blocks away from the Little Museum of Dublin. It reminds me a lot of Ripley's Believe It Or Not: filled with odd, strange, and even supernatural objects that sometimes leave one to wonder how true everything is. It has unusual taxidermied animals, objects of the occult, or simple everyday objects of time long gone. It was a small museum, and surely an eerie one, but it does break free from the usual Dublin attractions.

Here I am!

Unsettling, but interesting.

A chimera of sorts!

Yes, it is a real lion.

This room has some witchcraft stuff too.

- To shake things off, I had my final lunch in Dublin at The Oliver St. John Gogarty Bar, named after Oliver St. John Gogarty, an author, doctor, and politician. The pub itself was lively even at noon, and based on what I saw in other days, it's livelier at night (though I might not be able to feel comfortable with that level of energy as it can get too rowdy). I had an Irish breakfast for lunch and listened to live Irish music while finishing my meal. Perfect!

There are carriages outside the pub sometimes.

Irish breakfast.

Live music!

It was crowded, but just right I guess.

Was missing flavors of home a bit, so I got myself an ube drink from the Filipino milk tea place near the pub.

- Though I was leaving Dublin that afternoon, my immersion in Irish culture and society has not ended. From Dublin Connolly Station, I rode a 2-hour train back to the UK, to the capital city of Northern Ireland, Belfast!