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Interior of the National Museum of Ireland-Archaeology, Dublin, Ireland.Author Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg).

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology

The National Museum of Ireland-Archaeology often known as NMI is a branch of the National Museum of Ireland. It is located on Kildare Street in Dublin, Ireland that specialises in Irish and other antiquities dating from the Stone Age to the Late Middle Ages.

The National Museum of Ireland Archaeology was established under the Science and Art Museum Act of 1877. Previously, the collections of NMI’s collections had been between the Royal Dublin Society and the National History Museum on Merrion Street.

The museum was built by the father and son architects Thomas Newenham Deane and Thomas Manly Deane. The collections found at the National Museum of Ireland Archaeology are artefacts from prehistoric Ireland.

They include bog bodies, Iron and Bronze Age objects such as axe-heads, swords and shields in bronze, silver and gold. The earliest artefact at the museum dates back to 7000 BC.

National Museum of Ireland Archaeology holds the world’s most substantial collection post-Roman era Irish medieval art known as Insular art. The Museum also houses a substantial collection of metalwork and Viking artefacts including swords and coins. There are also classical objects from Ancient Egypt, Cyprus and the Roman World.

Here are the top 10 Remarkable Facts about the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology;

1. The Basis for the Museum Occurred when Collections at RIA and RDS were Amalgamated

The establishment of the National Museum of Ireland Archaeology was not an idea from nowhere. Its basis occurred when the collections of the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) and Royal Dublin Society (RDS) were amalgamated.

The collections were amalgamated under a new institution which was established in 1877 under the Dublin Science and Art Museum Act. There was a need for this institution when the RIA recognised the need for government funding. The funding was to continue their acquisition program and make it easier to collaborate with the British Museum and National Museum of Scotland.

2. The Museum was Designed by a Father and Son who were Architects

Interior of the National Museum of Ireland-Archaeology, Dublin 2, Ireland.Author Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg)

The history of the National Museum of Ireland Archaeology is remarkable to listen to and learn more about. This museum was built as an extension to the previous museum to house the archaeological collections.

The museum opened on 29th August 1890 after brilliant design and construction. The National Museum of Ireland Archaeology was designed by Thomas Newenham Deane.

To make this interesting, the son of Thomas, Thomas Manly Deane took part in designing the museum. They built it in the Victorian Palladian style.

3. National Museum of Ireland Archaeology has been Renamed Twice

The project of building the National Museum of Ireland Archaeology was overseen by the palaeontologist Alexander Carte. The current name of the museum is not the previous name it had since it was established.

Its original name was not that popular with the people but was renamed the National Museum of Science and Art in 1908. In 1921, the museum was renamed to National Museum of Ireland following independence.

4. NMI has Special Governance and Functions

The Egyptian Gallery at the National Museum of Ireland-Archaeology, Dublin, Ireland.Author Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg)

Every museum has unique functions and governance. The National Museum of Ireland Archaeology has special governance and functions.

Its stated function is to hold the country’s archaeological, ethnographical, classical and Egyptian collections. The division is also given the mandate for the administration of various statutory functions.

These statutory functions include the acquisition of archaeological objects claimed to be the property of the State. It also regulates licences to export and alter archaeological objects. Another unique function of the museum is recording and cataloguing newly found artefacts which mostly involved bog findings, lithic and ceramics.

5. The Columns and Domed Rotunda of NMI were Influenced by 18th Century Designs

Thomas and his son who made the design of the museum did an elegant job. The design of the museum was influenced by 18th-century designs.

There are columns around the entrance of the National Museum of Ireland Archaeology and the domed rotunda. They are made from Irish marble and bear influence from the 18th-century neoclassical design and the Pantheon in Rome.

The stone used on the exterior is mostly Leinster granite. The columns formed are from sandstone excavated at Mount Charles, County Donegal.

6. Interior of the Museum is Classical and there’s a Balcony held by Cast-iron

National Museum of Ireland, Archaeology, at Kildare street in Dublin. Inside door. Author Alicia Fagerving.

National Museum of Ireland Archaeology has mosaic floors in the interior which contain scenes from classical mythology. The mosaic floors were ladies out in the 19th century by Manchester-based artist Ludwig Oppenheimer.

They were covered over the decades until they were cleaned and restored in 2011. The museum has wooden doors which were carved by either William Milligan of Dublin or Carlo of Siena, Italy.

There are fireplaces which contain majolica tiles by the UK-based Burmantofts Pottery. The museum also has a balcony at the central court. This balcony is held nu rows of thin cast-iron columns which contain ornate capitals decorated with groups of cherubs.

7. It has several Large Permanent Exhibits

The National Museum of Ireland Archaeology is ranked among the most visited places in Ireland. The collection found within the museum makes it a major attraction site.

There are several large permanent exhibits at the National Museum of Ireland Archaeology. These exhibits mainly feature Irish historical objects and a few smaller exhibits on the Ancient Mediterranean. The ancient Mediterranean exhibits include galleries on Ancient Egypt as well as ceramics and glass from Ancient Cyprus.

8. The Museum has Rare Imported Stone Age Artefact from Italy

The National Museum of Ireland Archaeology has numerous archaeological tools and objects. Some of these artefacts date from the early metallurgy period.

There are numerous stone implements created by the first hunter-gatherer colonists beginning from around 7,000 BC. The most notable artefacts include four rare Jadeite axe heads which were imported from the Alps of Neolithic Italy. Another notable artefact is the unique ceremonial macehead discovered at the tomb of Knowth.

9. Largest and Important Goldwork in Western Europe is found in the Museum

Artefact in the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin, Ireland. Author NearEMPTiness.

There are several artefacts which are not pleasing to the eye at the National Museum of Ireland Archaeology. However, some of the artefacts especially goldwork is very important.

The Museum has a collection of Bronze Age goldwork which range from 2200 to 1800 B.C. These artefacts are considered one of the largest and most important in Western Europe.

The golf was recovered from river gravel and hammered into thin sheets. They made crescent-shaped collars, bracelets and dress fasteners.

10. The Museum contains several Well-preserved Irish Bog Bodies

The most interesting but rather scary artefacts of the museum are the Irish bog bodies. These bog bodies date back to the Iron age. Some are believed to have been ritualistically sacrificed.

Archaeologist Eamonn Kelly developed a theory that the bodies were tribal kings sacrificed by the community due to failed kingship. Some of the bog bodies show evidence of the threefold death practice of strangulation, wounding and drowning.