marianne's travel recommendations

The National Museum of Ireland is next to Leinster House. The star attraction is the treasury; gold objects from the Bronze and Iron Age (a bit of a contradiction, but the objects are real gold) It is not known where Ireland's gold came from. Around 2200 BC gold was beaten into thin sheets used in crescent-shaped ornaments. Some five hundred years later gold strips were used to make necklaces and bracelets. Most of the gold objects were found while cutting peat or ploughing land. The reason is that gold objects were stashed away in remote hoards. I suppose the owners' relatives were not able to find these again. In the Middle Ages Irish monastries were centres of knowledge. The artifacts from medieval times reflect the fact that Irish monastries in those days were centres of knowledge. Other exhibits focus on the Easter Rising and the independence struggle, the Vikings and Irish glass and silverware. Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 2-5pm. admission; free

Address: Kildare Street Dublin Dublin Ireland Phone: + 000 000 0000 Price: budget