Museum reopens after €4.3m facelift

The Little Museum of Dublin has reopened its doors after a €4.3 million restoration funded by Fáilte Ireland, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media, the museum itself, Matheson Foundation and Tara’s Place Trust. In 2011, the non-profit attraction was launched by writer and former publisher of The Dubliner magazine Trevor White.

Situated in a Georgian townhouse at 15 St Stephen’s Green owned by Dublin City Council (DCC), the museum’s revamp sees new exhibition spaces, an education centre, and the installation of a lift. Fáilte Ireland estimates that the upgrades will increase capacity from 120,000 visitors to 215,000 a year by 2035, generating €24.7m over the next 10 years.

Character

The project was overseen by conservation architects Deaton Lysaght, ensuring that the building’s historic character was preserved while also creating a modern visitor experience. The facelift also includes a new basement reception, retail area and an expanded collection of artefacts, many of which were donated by the people of Dublin.

The artefacts include Mary McAleese’s First Holy Communion Rosary beads donated by the President herself. In 2020, DCC offered the museum a 35-year lease on all five floors of the building. While operating from a temporary location on Pembroke Street for nearly a year, the museum retained its ranking as the number one ‘thing to do’ in Dublin on TripAdvisor.

Pictured, from left: Sarah Clancy, CEO, Little Museum of Dublin; Lord Mayor of Dublin Emma Blain and Mary Stack, head of product development for attractions at Fáilte Ireland  


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