The National Museum of Ireland at Kildare Street is delighted to present an exciting programme of tours and drop-in activity workshops specially designed for families to enjoy this summer.
From secrets in ogham stones to handling Viking replica artefacts, solving Bronze Age puzzles to creating your own megalithic art, there is something to keep everyone entertained on a family day out to the Museum throughout the summer months.
All events are free and no booking is required. These events will take place in the Learning Resource Room, first floor, at the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, and are not wheelchair accessible.
JULY 2026
Wednesday, 22 July | 14:00 - 16:00 | Families | No booking required
National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Drop into the Learning Resource Room at the Museum and learn how to think like an archaeologist by solving our puzzle. Take a close look and handle each of our Viking replica artefacts. Figure out what they are, how they were used and what they are made from. Use the Viking Age Artefact Detective activity sheet to fill in all of the answers.
Thursday, 23 July | 11:00 - 13:00 | Families | No booking required
National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Explore the lives of Viking warriors and their swords at this drop-in workshop. Craft and decorate your own mini paper Viking sword and mark it with a secret message in Viking runes to take home with you.
Wednesday 29 July | 11:00 - 13:00 | Families | No booking required
National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Drop into the Learning Resource Room and meet with our Museum Educators who will have an array of replica artefacts from Stone Age Ireland for you to pick up and examine. Discover the different types of objects that people in the past used to source their food. See our mesolithic fishtrap, flint scrapers and arrowheads, and prehistoric clay pots.
Thursday, 30 July | 14:00 - 16:00 | Families | No booking required
National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Come to the Learning Resource Room and learn all about Megalithic Rock Art from Stone Age Ireland!
Discover all the patters, shapes and decorations that were used to decorate passage tombs in Ireland, including Newgrange and Knowth, and decorate your own ‘megalithic stone’ to bring home with you. You can also have a go at creating your own cave art handprint!
Step into Ireland’s past this July with a free guided tour at the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street. Explore fascinating stories from Prehistoric Ireland, Viking Ireland, Saints and Scholars, and the History of Art in Ireland, or discover the collection’s highlights with an expert Museum guide. No booking is required—simply meet at Reception and join a tour on a first-come, first-served basis.
AUGUST 2026
Wednesday, 5 August | 11:00 - 13:00 | Families | No booking required
National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Come to the Learning Resource Room and learn how to think like an archaeologist! Try to solve the puzzle of some mystery replica Bronze Age objects during this drop-in session and see if you can figure out what each of them were used for.
Thursday 5 August July | 14:00 - 16:00 | Families | No booking required
National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Visit the Learning Resource Room and join in this craft activity and discover all about Sun Discs of Bronze Age Ireland. In the Early Bronze Age Ireland, people made beautiful gold discs that looked like the sun. Drop in to find out more about these precious objects and make your own shining sun disc to bring home with you.
Wednesday, 12 August | 11:00 - 13:00 | Families | No booking required
National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Drop into the Learning Resource Room and find out more about the lives of people in Early Medieval Ireland. During this handling workshop, discover replicas of jet crosses from Yorkshire, early medieval leather shoes, and brooches for cloaks and clothes. Learn about the coming of Christianity to Ireland, and the impact it had on Ireland.
Thursday, 13 August | 14:00 - 16:00 | Families | No booking required
National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Drop in to our Learning Resource Room to explore ogham script, the earliest form of writing found in Ireland, and learn all about ancient manuscript techniques. During this craft drop-in workshop, experience what it was like to be a scribe in early medieval Ireland by using vellum, a quill, and oak gall ink, to write your secret message in ogham on a mini bookmark to take home with you.
Sunday, 16 August | Families | No booking required
Woodstown Viking Heritage Festival, Woodstown, Co Waterford
This Heritage Week, the Archaeology Education and Outreach Team from the National Museum of Ireland at Kildare Street will be bringing the Viking Handling Collection down to Waterford to take part in the Áonach na nDéise - Woodstown Viking Heritage Festival. There, they will be joined by Déise Medieval, Waterford City and County Council, TVAS Archaeology, the Discovery Programme and Abarta Heritage for a fun filled Viking Day!
Wednesday, 29 August | 11:00 - 13:00 | Families | No booking required
National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Drop into the Learning Resource Room at the Museum and learn how to think like an archaeologist by solving our puzzle. Take a close look and handle each of our Viking replica artefacts. Figure out what they are, how they were used and what they are made from. Use the Viking Age Artefact Detective activity sheet to fill in all of the answers.
Thursday, 20 August | 14:00 - 16:00 | Families | No booking required
National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Explore the lives of Viking warriors and their swords at this drop-in workshop. Craft and decorate your own mini paper Viking sword and mark it with a secret message in Viking runes to take home with you.
Step into Ireland’s past this August with a free guided tour at the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street. Explore fascinating stories from Prehistoric Ireland, Viking Ireland, Saints and Scholars, and the History of Art in Ireland, or discover the collection’s highlights with an expert Museum guide. No booking is required—simply meet at Reception and join a tour on a first-come, first-served basis.