Explore and learn

Sarah Cecilia Harrison Essay Prize 2025

We're now welcoming entries for this year's competition

Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ: Love/Art

The remarkable history of Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ

Bloomsday

A few Joycean highlights from our collection.

Mazzolino’s Masterpiece: Conservation and Science in Focus

Discover the science and artistry behind the preservation of this

New to the Nation

Discover recently acquired works of art

Through a Lens: Self-guided tours of the collection

Discover the collection with these online self-guided tours

Free virtual backgrounds for video calls

Brighten up your ZOOM calls with a Gallery artwork.

Portrait of Prince Alessandro Farnese: Mindfulness and Art

Video: Spend 3 minutes with Sofonisba Anguissola's portrait.

In Focus: Cubism

Connecting the collection to art historical, theoretical or philo

The White Bull Conservation and Research Project

An exciting new collaboration with the Mauritshuis in The Hague

Me aul flower

Take a look at some of our favourite blooms in the collection.

Creative Commons: downloadable artworks

Download and use 1800 high-resolution images from our collection

Scenes from the Life of Saint Patrick

Explore the dramatic life of Ireland's patron saint.

In Focus: the flâneur

Linking the collection with art historical, theoretical or philos

Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ: Love/Art

The remarkable history of Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ

Finding Power, by Joe Caslin

Read about the installation in our courtyard.

Mothers

Celebrating mothers, grandmothers and mother figures in art

World Book Day

Explore portraits of writers in our collection

Caravaggio: A masterpiece revealed

Unveiling The Taking of Christ to the Irish public

Literary and mythological characters

Discover artworks populated with characters from writing

Dublin: James Joyce and Erich Hartmann

Photographer Erich Hartmann was inspired by James Joyce's Ulysses

Stephen James Smith: As Light Between our Bodies Moves

Video: A poem inspired by Caravaggio's painting

Bloomsday

A few Joycean highlights from our collection.

In Focus: the sublime in art

Linking the collection with art historical, theoretical or philos

A rare daguerreotype

Portrait of Daniel O'Connell.

Portrait of Prince Alessandro Farnese: Mindfulness and Art

Video: Spend 3 minutes with Sofonisba Anguissola's portrait.

Interior Lives

Exploring domestic scenes in the collection

In Focus: The Emancipated Spectator

Connecting the collection to art historical, theoretical or philo

Monet's Argenteuil Basin with a Single Sailboat: Mindfulness and Art

Video: Spend 3 minutes with Claude Monet's painting.

Bram Stoker Festival: Warmbloods audio tour

A darkly comedic audio tour of the Gallery by improv duo Underth

Podcast: Reflecting on George Wallace's Life

Hear the artist's son share personal memories with curator Anne H

Podcast: Queer Mind, Body and Soul

Listen to episode 2 featuring artists from the exhibition Queer M

Artists’ Voices: Life in a Pandemic

Podcast series of conversations with artists during the first loc

Podcast: Brian O'Doherty's life and work

A discussion of the artist's life and work, with Dr Brenda Moore-

Podcasts: Mondrian

A podcast looking at Piet Mondrian's relationship to music is now

Special Project: Music for Mondrian

A new podcast looking at Piet Mondrian's relationship to music is

Podcast: Imagining France – artist colonies

Artist Una Sealy speaks with Mick O'Dea, President of the RHA.

Podcast: Imagining France – artist as profession and legacy

Dr Brendan Rooney talks to artist Cian McLoughlin.

Podcast: Imagining France – the time, the place, the principles

Paul McLauchlan and Andrea Horan discuss the aesthetics of turn-o

Podcast: Imagining France at the turn of the century

Podcast series connected to the exhibition Roderic O’Conor and

Podcast | Jack B. Yeats: Painting & Memory

Listen to a new podcast exploring memory in Yeats's work.

Moments in Time Podcast Series

A series of podcasts produced to accompany our 2019 exhibition Mo

Podcasts: The Island, A Prospect

Listen back to our podcasts about Ireland and art

Podcast: Something From There

A podcast produced in tandem with our Something From There projec

Five things to know about Young Gainsborough

3-minute read: Some interesting facts about our latest exhibition

Five things to know about Giacometti

Discover five interesting facts before your visit!

Giacometti Artist in Residence: Richard Malone

Irish artist and fashion designer is our Artist in Residence.

Queer Mind, Body and Soul

30 July – 17 October 2021

Video: George Bernard Shaw and the Gallery

Watch a video of archivist Leah Benson talking about Shaw and th

Five things to know about George Bernard Shaw

Discover some interesting facts about the man at the centre of ou

Inspiration and Rivalry: After Vermeer

Remembering this project, three years on

Five things to know about Murillo: The Prodigal Son Restored

Five interesting stories about this conservation and research pro

Six things to know about Turner & Place: Landscapes in Light and Detail

Some interesting nuggets of information.

George Wallace: Talking Heads

Curator Anne Hodge discusses Wallace's printed heads

Video: Irish Botanical Art

An illustrated talk by the librarian at the National Botanic Gard

One Nation Indivisible: a dark moment in history

Find out the story behind this Dorothea Lange photograph, which i

Moment in Time: Reading the exhibition

A reading list of American literature and poetry.

A photograph can tell a powerful story

How Lewis Wickes Hine's photographs helped abolish child labour.

Amanda Coogan: Floats in the Aether

An ambitious, large-scale performance by artist Amanda Coogan, in

The Island, A Prospect - a poem by Paula Meehan

A poem by Paula Meehan, written in response to the exhibition Sha

Shaping Ireland: Visualising the Anthropocene

The first in a series of short texts exploring themes from the ex

The Colour of Ireland

If the glossy green of Ireland is the result of man-made chemical

Lights Out: Ireland and Mass Extinction

Since the arrival of humans in Ireland the extinction of around

Writer Ian Maleney and Shaping Ireland

Writer Ian Maleny's debut book, Minor Monuments

Bauhaus and Entartete Kunst

Artists persecuted by the Nazis

Five things to know \ Bauhaus 100: The Print Portfolios

Five quick facts about our Bauhaus exhibition

Entartete Kunst \ Degenerate Art

From 1937, the National Socialist Party confiscated modernist art

Everyday Bauhaus \ Bauhaus 100: The Print Portfolios

The influence of Bauhaus is all around us

Explainer: Who were the Irish painter-etchers?

Five quick facts about our past exhibition 'Making their Mark: Ir

Visiting with kids

Activities for young people visiting the National Gallery

Audio Tour for Kids & Families: An Artist's Adventure

Look, listen and learn about art with audio designed for kids.

Resources for Schools \ Acmhainní do Scoileanna

Downloadable resources for students and teachers

Renaissance for Kids: Hidden Clues in Art

Video: Learn how to spot hidden clues in Renaissance paintings.

Explore the Renaissance with Cozimo

Video: Learn about this fascinating time in art history.

Through a Lens tour: Babies & Toddlers

An online self-guided tour to engage babies and toddlers

The Wonder of Weeds

Discover the mysterious and surprising qualities of plants

Art & Mindfulness: Powerscourt Waterfall

A guided mindfulness video for primary schools

Through a Lens tour: Family Favourites

An online self-guided tour for visitors with young children

Sensory activities

Activities for children who seek sensory input

Colouring in the Collection

Download and colour in some works from the national collection

The Joy of Collecting

Blog: Artist Vita Ryan explores the idea of collecting.

Drawing Inspiration

Explore some drawings in the collection

Five things to know about Turner

Discover five interesting facts before your visit!

Source: Irish Art Digital Archive & Library

Explore Irish art through our digital archive collections.

Remembering the Gallery's history: plaster casts

For International Sculpture Day, we look at the history of the Ga

Irish Women Artists from the Archives

Discover the stories of Irish artists

Saint Patrick: some namesakes around Ireland

Illustrations from a rare book in our collection.

Sketchbooks at the National Gallery of Ireland: Part One

Discover sketches by Maria Spilsbury Taylor & John Butler Yeats

Sketchbooks at the Gallery: Bea Orpen

An introduction to Bea Orpen and her fascinating sketchbooks.

Nature from the Archives

Learn about Irish artists who illustrated nature

Sir Denis Mahon Project

Find out more about this remarkable collection.

Recording a Refurbishment

Fascinating objects uncovered during the Gallery's renovation

Yeats Archive

Collections related to Jack B. Yeats and members of his family

Online Research Resources

We are here to help you with your research needs.

Gallery archive

Holds the official records of the National Gallery of Ireland

Lavinia Fontana Conservation and Research Project

Shining a light on a Renaissance artist.

TEFAF Museum Restoration Fund

The National Gallery of Ireland has received funding from the TEF

Journey of a conservator: working on our Guercino in the Getty

A behind-the-scenes look at Gallery conservator Maria Canavan's t

Apollo Project: Artistic Licence Activity

Why not use artistic licence to reimagine a work from the Gallery

Drawing Activity: Shapes and Spatial Relations

Develop your observational skills and explore spatial relations,

Apollo Project: Masterclass with Nick Roche

Learn about storyboarding from comic-book artist Nick Roche.

OUTing the Past: The Festival of LGBTI+ History 2022

Taking place around the island of Ireland from 18 March-10 April

Courage

Other Voices presents Courage from the Shaw Room of the Gallery

The Much More Magnificent Seven

A special collaboration between the Gallery, LauraLynn Children's

Earth Day

A selection of posts, activities and podcasts with a focus on the

Inishbofin Community Art Project

Creating textile art in response to 'Shaping Ireland: Landscapes

Re-telling the Prodigal Story

Outreach project focused on re-telling the story of the Prodigal

Homan Potterton

We're deeply saddened to learn of the death of our former Directo

Through a Lens: Architecture

Learn about the Gallery's buildings

Remembering Sergio Benedetti (1942-2018)

The Board, Director and staff of the Gallery are deeply saddened

Visitor Guide

Find out what to expect on your visit.

Gallery Shop

Shop onsite or online for books and art-inspired gifts

Membership

Become a member of the Friends of the National Gallery of Ireland