The Hunt Museum

John and Gertrude Hunt were dealers and collectors who advised museums across Europe and assembled a private collection over a lifetime, then gave it to the state on the condition that it stayed outside Dublin. It is housed in Limerick's eighteenth-century custom house on the bank of the Shannon, a good Palladian building in its own right. The range is unusual for a museum this size: Bronze Age Irish metalwork, medieval ivories, crosiers and reliquaries, Renaissance bronzes, Egyptian and Greek pieces, and a small bronze horse whose attribution to Leonardo has been argued over for decades. Many of the smaller objects sit in drawers you open yourself, which works better than it sounds.

History

John and Gertrude Hunt, antique dealers and advisers to collectors, gathered pieces that reflected their own interests, and late in John Hunt's life they looked for a permanent home where the collection could stay together. It was first shown at the University of Limerick before moving to the city's Georgian Custom House (Wikipedia, Hunt Museum).

The main sights

• The study drawers - cabinets you pull open to find the small objects.
• The bronze horse - the disputed Leonardo attribution, displayed without fuss.
• The medieval room - ivories, crosiers and reliquaries at close range.
• The custom house - a Palladian building of the 1760s facing the river.

When to go

Year-round and indoors, and Limerick gets enough rain for that to matter. Opening days are reduced in winter, so check before travelling. Term-time afternoons can fill with school groups, and mornings are calmer. Two hours covers it, and the riverside rooms are worth a look on their own account.

Before you go

Limerick is off most itineraries and this museum is the main reason to stop, which makes it a detour rather than something you pass. Lighting in several rooms is poor and the labelling is uneven, with major pieces described in a line. The Leonardo attribution is not accepted by everyone, and the museum says so.

Nearby

King John's Castle and the medieval quarter are a short walk upriver.

Key facts