Collins Barracks

Collins Barracks, in Dublin's Arbor Hill district, is the city's oldest public building after the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. Originally built as a military barracks beginning in 1701, the historic buildings now house the Decorative Arts and History branch of the National Museum of Ireland. Here you can admire furniture, tableware, ceramics, glassware, and military objects and weapons dating from 1550 to the present day. The complex also recalls its eventful past: it served as a base during the 1916 Easter Rising and was later renamed in honor of Michael Collins. In addition to the permanent collections, the museum regularly presents rotating special exhibitions on a variety of historical themes.