National Museum of Ireland - Natural History

Opened in 1857, two years before Darwin's The Origin of the Species was first published, this purpose-built museum, known by locals as the brilliantly named 'Dead Zoo', is the oldest in Ireland. Famous for its Victorian cabinet style, the museum has over 2m specimens of which approximately 10,000 animals are on display. These not only cover animals native to Ireland but also the rest of the world including species that are extinct, rare or endangered. The insect collection is the most extensive and accounts for approximately half of all specimens. It is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon.