National Gallery of Ireland

National Gallery of Ireland One of Ireland’s top visitor attractions housing the nation’s collection of European & Irish art. Admission to the permanent collection is free.
(6030)

The National Gallery of Ireland is located in the heart of Georgian Dublin. Opened in 1864, it houses the national collection of Irish and European fine art. The National Gallery of Ireland is a registered charity. CHY Number: 2345
Registered Charity Number (RCN): 2000302

19/06/2026

“The best anyone can do is make art that resonates with you and trust that that artwork then will resonate with someone else.”
 
⏳ Two weeks left to enter the AIB Portrait Prize and AIB Young Portrait Prize 2026 – all submissions must be with us by 10pm on Friday 3 July.
 
🎞️ In this short film, Daniel Nelis, winner of the AIB Portrait Prize 2025, reflects on what sets this competition apart, and the importance of following your own instincts.
 
🔗 Find all the information on how to enter at the link in our bio.
 
🗓️ The shortlisted artworks in both competitions will go on display here at the National Gallery of Ireland from 14 November 2026 until 14 March 2027, and the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony here in December. The exhibitions will also travel to our exhibition partners, Galway Arts Centre and Limerick City Gallery of Art, later in 2027.
 
Film by Joe Copage.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️To celebrate Pride month, we’re hosting a free LGBTQIA+ themed tour of the collection every weekend throughout ...
18/06/2026

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️To celebrate Pride month, we’re hosting a free LGBTQIA+ themed tour of the collection every weekend throughout June.

These tours, which we normally host monthly, look at artists and works in the collection through an LGBTQIA+ lens. When trying to find LGBTQIA+ stories within a historical collection, there are often more questions than answers - there are huge gaps in historical resources around this community, as in the past, anonymity was a form of protection. These tours seek to question the heteronormative annals of history through some of the artists and works on our wall.

🦌One of the artworks that often features on this tour is this painting by Rosa Bonheur, who had the distinction of becoming the first woman artist to receive the cross of the Légion d’Honneur, in 1865. She was an animalière (an artist who specialised in depicting animals), and observed her subjects both in nature and by visiting abbatoirs to study their anatomy. Because dresses were restrictive, but women were forbidden to wear trousers according to a decree of 1800, Bonheur succeeded in obtaining a police permit to wear men’s clothing while she worked. Although her sexuality was never publically defined, she lived for a number of decades with another French painter, Natalie Micas. Following the death of Micas, she met an American artist, Anna Klumpke. They lived together until Bonheur’s death, upon which Klumpke inherited her residence and studio and dedicated herself to promoting Bonheur’s legacy.

⏰This week’s free tour takes place on Sunday at 11.30am. No need to book; meet your guide in our Courtyard.

Image: Rosa Bonheur (1822–1899), A Stag, 1893. Photo © National Gallery of Ireland.

Join us here at the Gallery tomorrow evening (18 June) for a specially curated Thursday Lates evening celebrating our su...
17/06/2026

Join us here at the Gallery tomorrow evening (18 June) for a specially curated Thursday Lates evening celebrating our summer exhibition, William Blake: The Age of Romantic Fantasy.

✨Highlights include tarot readings, a musical performance, themed tours, a film screening, a print-making workshop, improv poetry and a Meet the Makers event in the Gallery Shop – all free of charge.

🥂Our café will have a special menu for the evening, too, with Blake-inspired small plates and drinks from €5 each. Plus you’ll be able to see the exhibition for €5 after 5pm. Friends of the Gallery and under always 18s go free.

🎫 The events are free, but there are limited places available for the tarot readings and the musical performance, so you can book your free slot for those on our website - link in the bio.

William Blake: The Age of Romantic Fantasy continues here until 19 July. The exhibition is organised in collaboration with Tate. This exhibition is supported by The William Blake Giving Circle. The Gallery would like to thank the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport for their ongoing support.

Photos by:
1. The Pimlico Project
2. Molly Keane
3. Niamh Barry

17/06/2026

We're looking forward to welcoming perfumer Lady Lavinia Ravenswood to the Gallery tomorrow evening for a Meet the Maker event as part of our Thursday Lates: William Blake, to discuss the exclusive fragrance she created inspired by our summer exhibition. She’ll talk about her creative process and her approach to perfumery as an art form, and will also be creating personalised scent profiles for visitors. Plus there’ll be a 10% discount on her fragrances for the evening.

🔎Take a closer look at Enchantment and our other William Blake inspired gifts in the Gallery Shop and online at the link below. Every purchase supports the work of the National Gallery of Ireland. https://shop.nationalgallery.ie/collections/william-blake-the-age-of-romantic-fantasy

🎟️ William Blake: The Age of Romantic Fantasy is organised in collaboration with Tate. The exhibition is supported by The William Blake Giving Circle. The Gallery would like to thank the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport for their ongoing support. See it at the National Gallery of Ireland until 19 July 2026.

Film by Michael-David McKernan.

“I want to give a picture of Dublin so complete that if the city suddenly disappeared from the earth it could be reconst...
16/06/2026

“I want to give a picture of Dublin so complete that if the city suddenly disappeared from the earth it could be reconstructed out of my book.” - James Joyce (1882-1941)

Happy . For anyone who isn’t familiar with the day, it commemorates 16 June 1904, the day on which James Joyce’s novel Ulysses takes place, and is named after the central character Leopold Bloom.

🎨Joyce himself professed to know little of painting – in a 1906 letter to his brother Stanislaus he wrote: “On all subjects – except socialism (for which you care nothing) and painting (of which I know nothing) – we have the same like or opinion”. Nonetheless, we have lots of Joycean links in our collection. These first two works are by Harry Kernoff (1900-1974), showing a view of Davy Byrne’s Pub, where Leopold Bloom had his Gorgonzola sandwich and glass of Burgundy. The finished oil painting is the June image on our 2026 calendar.

➡️ Swipe through to see two portraits of Joyce in our collection, and then head to the link in our bio to explore more: https://www.nationalgallery.ie/explore-and-learn/bloomsday

🗓️ We have two special Bloomsday tours of the Gallery today at 1pm and 2.30pm, for anyone in the neighbourhood. Free, no need to book. Meet in our Courtyard.

Images:
1. & 2. Harry Aaron Kernoff (1900-1974), Davy Byrne’s Pub, Dublin, from the Bailey, 1941. © the artist’s family.
3. Jacques-Emile Blanche, Portrait of James Joyce, Author, 1934
4. Wyndham Lewis (1882-1957), James Joyce (1882-1941), 1921. Photo © National Gallery of Ireland.

🌛Déanach ar an DéardaoinBí linn le haghaidh ócáid speisialta tráthnóna Déardaoin seo chun ceiliúradh a dhéanamh ar an mó...
16/06/2026

🌛Déanach ar an Déardaoin

Bí linn le haghaidh ócáid speisialta tráthnóna Déardaoin seo chun ceiliúradh a dhéanamh ar an mórtaispeántas, William Blake: Aois na Fantaisíochta Rómánsaí.

Bain taitneamh as imeachtaí saor in aisce:
✨ Turais threoraithe
✨ Seisiúin déanamh priontaí
✨ Cártaí tarot
✨ Taibhiú ceoil
✨ Taispeántas scannán
✨ Tobfhilíocht
✨ Deis Bualadh leis na Déantóirí

➕Chomh maith leis sin, beidh tairiscint speisialta €5 i ndiaidh 5pm againn sa chaifé seans gur mhaith leat bualadh isteach chuig taispeántas William Blake freisin – €5 atá ar na ticéid tar éis 5pm!

🔗 https://www.nationalgallery.ie/whats-on/thursday-lates-william-blake

🤝Arna eagrú i gcomhar leis an Tate. Thug The William Blake Giving Circle tacaíocht dúinn i leith an taispeántais seo. Ba mhaith leis an nGailearaí buíochas a ghabháil leis an Roinn Cultúir, Cumarsáide agus Spóirt as an tacaíocht a thugann sí dúinn.

🌛 Thursday Lates

Join us for a specially curated evening to celebrate our major exhibition, William Blake: The Age of Romantic Fantasy.

Enjoy free events:
✨ Guided tours
✨ Print-making workshop
✨ Tarot cards
✨ Musical performance
✨ Film screening
✨ Improv poetry
✨ Meet the Makers

➕There will also be special €5 food and drink offerings in the Gallery café, and tickets to see the exhibition cost €5 after 5pm.

🔗 https://www.nationalgallery.ie/whats-on/thursday-lates-william-blake

🤝This exhibition is supported by The William Blake Giving Circle. The Gallery would like to thank the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport for their ongoing support.

🖼️: Theodor von Holst, The Fairy Lovers / Aingil i nGrá, c.1840. Tate, Purchased/ Ceannaithe 1972. Photo / Griangraf: Tate.

11/06/2026

“Opportunities like this are so important for rural schools. It's bringing an opportunity to them, as opposed to getting them to travel two, three hours on a bus.”

Your Gallery at School is an ambitious outreach programme that brings the National Gallery of Ireland directly into classrooms and education settings around the country, kindly supported by SMBC Aviation Capital.

This year, the Your Gallery at School programme visited schools across the island of Ireland, from Kerry to Donegal and Dublin to Galway.

Pupils from Scoil Mhuire Aughnagarron National School in Co. Longford worked with artist Eimear Murphy on a unique project, tailored to their passion for sports! Watch our video below to find out more about this special programme.

🔗 Find out more about Your Gallery at School, supported by SMBC Aviation Capital: https://www.nationalgallery.ie/explore-and-learn/schools/your-gallery-school

08/06/2026

“The AIB Portrait Prize is a great opportunity for the Gallery to engage with contemporary practice. It really breathes life into the Gallery, into the collection here.”

⏰Just under one month left to enter the AIB Portrait Prize and AIB Young Portrait Prize 2026 – all submissions must be with us by 10pm on Friday 3 July. You’ll find all the information on how to enter both competitions linked below.

In this short film, our Head Curator, Dr Brendan Rooney reflects on the importance of the AIB Portrait Prize to the Gallery, and talks about our wonderful partner venues for this year, Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny and Waterford Gallery of Art. In 2027, we’re delighted that the exhibitions will travel to Galway Arts Centre and Limerick City Gallery of Art.

➡️ Enter the AIB Portrait Prize: https://www.nationalgallery.ie/art-and-artists/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions/aib-portrait-prize-2026

➡️ Enter the AIB Young Portrait Prize: https://www.nationalgallery.ie/art-and-artists/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions/aib-young-portrait-prize-2026

Film by Joe Copage.

We are delighted to present a selection of outstanding works from the collections of Hugh Lane Gallery, which is current...
05/06/2026

We are delighted to present a selection of outstanding works from the collections of Hugh Lane Gallery, which is currently closed due to refurbishment. These paintings are an excellent representation of 19th and 20th century Irish and international art.

Hugh Lane Gallery was founded in 1908 by Sir Hugh Lane, who also played an important role in the history of the National Gallery of Ireland. Many of the works on display here formed part of Hugh Lane Gallery’s original holdings. Highlights of the collection include Sir Hugh’s Impressionist paintings (now shared in partnership with the National Gallery, London) and a fine group of paintings by Francis Bacon.

🎨Included in the display is this painting of Waterloo Bridge by Claude Monet, which he painted while staying at the Savoy Hotel in London in 1900. In all, he painted over forty views of the bridge, which he could see from his room. In this example, he captures the city’s early morning atmosphere, suggesting mist and smoke, and describing the traffic crossing the Thames with delicate touches of red and pink.

📍 Find the display in Room 47 and 48 the next time you visit. Admission free.

🖼️ Claude Monet (1840-1927), Waterloo Bridge, Overcast Weather. Collection and image © Hugh Lane Gallery. Donated by Ella Fry, 1905.

Cúis áthais dúinn rogha de shaothair iontacha ó bhailiúcháin Dánlann Hugh Lane, atá dúnta i láthair na huaire chun oibreacha athchóirithe a dhéanamh, a chur ar taispeáint. Tá léargas iontach le fáil sna pictiúir seo ar shaothair ealaíne Éireannacha agus idirnáisiúnta a rinneadh sa naoú haois déag agus san fhichiú haois déag.

Ba é Sior Hugh Lane a bhunaigh Dánlann Hugh Lane sa bhliain 1908, agus bhí ról tábhachtach aige i stair Ghailearaí Náisiúnta na hÉireann freisin. Bhí go leor de na saothair atá ar taispeáint anseo le fáil i gcéad bhailiúchán Dánlann Hugh Lane. I measc bhuaicphointí an bhailiúcháin tá pictiúir Impriseanaíocha Hugh Lane (atá á roinnt anois i gcomhpháirt leis an nGailearaí Náisiúnta, Londain) agus bailiúchán breá de phictiúir a rinne Francis Bacon.

🎨Tá an pictiúr seo de Dhroichead Waterloo le Claude Monet san áireamh sa taispeántas. Fad is a bhí sé ag fanacht in Ostán an Savoy i Londain, phéinteáil Monet breis is daichead radharc de Dhroichead Waterloo, a bhí le feiceáil aige óna sheomra. Sa sampla seo, tugann sé léargas ar atmaisféar na cathrach luath ar maidin. Cruthaíonn sé ceobhrán agus deatach, agus déanann sé cur síos ar an trácht ag dul trasna na Tamaise trí úsáid a bhaint as stríoca éadroma dearga agus bándearga.

📍Feicfidh tú an taispeántas i Seomra 47 agus 48 an chéad uair eile a thugann tú cuairt. Saorchead isteach.

🖼️ Claude Monet (1840-1927), Droichead Waterloo, Aimsir Ghruama. Dánlann Hugh Lane: Bronta ag Bean Uasal Ella Fry, 1905.

Address

Merrion Square West
Dublin
D02K303

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 9:15am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9:15am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9:15am - 8:30pm
Friday 9:15am - 5:30pm
Saturday 9:15am - 5:30pm
Sunday 11am - 5:30pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when National Gallery of Ireland posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Establishment

Send a message to National Gallery of Ireland:

Shortcuts

Share

Category