The National Gallery of Ireland

The national collection sits in a block of linked buildings on Merrion Square, and entry to the permanent galleries is free. The strength runs in two directions: European painting from the fourteenth century onward, including a Vermeer and Caravaggio's Taking of Christ, which spent decades unrecognised in a Jesuit house in Dublin before being identified in 1990; and Irish art, shown more fully here than anywhere else, with a room given over to Jack B. Yeats. The nineteenth-century wings were closed for a long refurbishment and reopened in 2017, so the older galleries are in better condition than most visitors expect. Two hours covers the highlights without hurrying.

History

The gallery grew out of the Great Industrial Exhibition of 1853 on the lawns of Leinster House, where a popular display of art was organised and paid for by the railway magnate William Dargan. It was not founded around an existing collection and opened with just 112 paintings; an annual purchase grant followed in 1866, and by 1891 space was already short (Wikipedia, National Gallery of Ireland).

The main sights

• The Taking of Christ - Caravaggio's canvas, identified in a Dublin house in 1990.
• The Yeats room - the largest public holding of Jack B. Yeats.
• The Irish rooms - Osborne, Lavery, Paul Henry and the nineteenth century.
• The Shaw Room - the long portrait hall under its chandeliers.

When to go

Year-round and fully indoor, which makes it a reliable wet-afternoon option in a city that has many of them. Late weekday mornings are quietest; Saturday afternoons fill with families. The permanent collection needs no ticket, but temporary exhibitions are usually charged and worth booking at weekends.

Practical notes

It is a mid-sized national gallery rather than a great one, and anyone arriving from Madrid or London will notice the gaps. The layout across four joined buildings is confusing and the signage does not fully solve it. Individual rooms close without warning for rehanging, and the Caravaggio is a loan that has travelled.

Nearby

Merrion Square and the Natural History Museum are outside the door; Trinity College is minutes north.

Key facts