Museum of Natural History Dublin: Dead Zoo Guide & Reopening

Dublin’s Natural History Museum has a nickname that says it all: locals call it the “Dead Zoo.” The Victorian building on Merrion Street, packed with taxidermied mammals and dusty geological specimens, closed its doors in September 2024 for major refurbishment. But here’s the twist — you can still catch a glimpse of the collection at Collins Barracks, where a pop-up lab has opened showing highlights the museum hasn’t displayed in years. Admission is free at both sites, and visitor numbers were climbing fast before the closure.

Location: Merrion Street, Dublin 2 · Built: 1856 · Opened: 1877 · Nickname: Dead Zoo · Status: Closed for renovation · Parent: National Museum of Ireland

Is the Dead Zoo free?

Yes — admission to the National Museum of Ireland, including Collins Barracks where the Dead Zoo Lab now operates, has been free seven days a week for years. There’s no ticket required for standard visits, making it one of the best-value attractions in Dublin.

Before the Merrion Street building shut down, the Dead Zoo attracted growing crowds: visitor numbers climbed from 106,000 in 2007 to 388,000 in 2019, according to Wikipedia. The free-entry policy helped drive that growth, and it remains in place at the Collins Barracks pop-up.

Entry fees and free access details

No booking is required for the Dead Zoo Lab at Collins Barracks — it’s a drop-in experience. The Visit Dublin events listing confirms that the Dead Zoo Specimen Spotlight event on 2 September 2024 runs 18:00–19:30, is free, and needs no advance reservation. Children are welcome but require adult supervision, and the space is wheelchair accessible.

Why is the Dead Zoo closed?

The 170-year-old Merrion Street building needs extensive work to be fit for future purpose. The Keeper of Natural History described the refurbishment as a “huge amount” of work — that quote came directly from RTE’s coverage in August 2025, when investigative works were about to begin.

This isn’t the first closure. The Dead Zoo shut its doors in November 2020 initially for COVID-19, then stayed closed for renovations as collections were moved off-site over ten months, Wikipedia notes. The ground floor managed a brief reopening in August 2022 before the full building closed again for the major works now underway.

Renovation history

The building was constructed in 1856 for parts of the Royal Dublin Society’s collection and opened as a museum in 1877. Almost 150 years of continuous use without major structural upgrades took their toll. The National Museum of Ireland announced in 2024 that the refurbishment would take years, with no firm timeline set.

Timeline of closure

Here’s the sequence: COVID closed the museum in November 2020. Collections moved off-site over the following ten months. A partial reopening happened in August 2022. Then in September 2024, the full closure for major refurbishment began. By September 2024, the Dead Zoo Lab had opened at Collins Barracks to keep some public access alive.

Is the Natural History Museum in Dublin open?

The Merrion Street building is closed, but Collins Barracks isn’t. The National Museum of Ireland opened a Dead Zoo Lab at Collins Barracks during the closure, according to RTE’s reporting. This temporary space displays popular specimens and rare objects that haven’t been shown for years.

Current status

Currently, only the Collins Barracks pop-up is open to visitors. The Dead Zoo Lab allows the curatorial team to experiment with new exhibit methods and visitor engagement approaches — it’s essentially a testing ground for ideas before they return to Merrion Street. The lab supports rotating displays and changes to what objects are shown, giving audiences wider access to the collection.

Visitor information

Collins Barracks is a branch of the National Museum of Ireland and operates seven days a week with free admission. The Dead Zoo Lab hosts regular events, including the upcoming Specimen Spotlight on 2 September 2024 from 18:00 to 19:30. Visit Dublin events listing lists it as wheelchair accessible, family-friendly, and requiring no booking.

When will the Natural History Museum reopen?

No specific reopening date has been announced. Extra.ie reported in August 2025 that engineers were still assessing the full scope of work needed at the Merrion Street building. The refurbishment is expected to take years, as the museum itself noted in 2024 announcements.

Planned reopening

The plan is to eventually bring collections back to Merrion Street once the refurbishment is complete. Until then, the Dead Zoo Lab at Collins Barracks serves as the public-facing outlet. The Totally Dublin article on the lab explains that the experimental approach there tests visitor appeal before exhibits return to the original site.

Interim exhibits

The Collins Barracks lab focuses on specimen stories and conservation importance rather than traditional display cases. The 2 October 2025 Specimen Spotlight event, for example, will feature the curatorial team spotlighting flamingos, fossils, Blashkas, and beetles — objects not normally on public view. The Visit Dublin listing confirms this hands-on approach.

What is the coolest thing in the Natural History Museum?

That depends on what you find fascinating, but the collection spans Irish mammals, birds of Ireland, geological exhibits, and the famous Blashka models — glass-blown marine life models that are genuinely unique. The Dead Zoo Lab at Collins Barracks gives visitors access to specimens and objects that haven’t been displayed publicly in years, making even familiar categories feel fresh.

Top exhibits

The Irish mammals gallery has long been a centrepiece — Victorian taxidermy at its finest, with bears, deer, and seals arranged in naturalistic poses. The bird collection is equally impressive. What makes Collins Barracks special is the curation angle: the team actively shares stories behind specimens, explaining conservation work and the history of how each piece was collected.

Visitor highlights

For first-time visitors, the geological exhibits offer a change of pace — Wikipedia notes that a geological collections exhibition opened at Collins Barracks on 27 September 2021 for an 18-month run. The current Dead Zoo Lab builds on that precedent, rotating objects based on curatorial judgment rather than fixed permanent displays.

The Dead Zoo’s story is one of resilience. The 170-year-old building on Merrion Street couldn’t handle another decade without major intervention, and the decision to close it fully in 2024 was inevitable given its condition. But the National Museum of Ireland didn’t simply shut the doors and wait — the Collins Barracks lab keeps the collection alive for Dublin visitors in a format that’s arguably more engaging than the static Victorian cases ever were.

For tourists and locals alike, the trade-off is clear: you won’t see the famous ground-floor galleries this year or probably next, but the pop-up experiences at Collins Barracks offer something the permanent building never did — rotating highlights, curatorial spotlights, and hands-on events. The refurbishment timeline remains uncertain, but the free admission and drop-in access at Collins Barracks mean there’s still a reason to visit the “Dead Zoo” collection today.

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