One of the biggest advantages of living in Dublin is the huge choice of world-class museums, cultural attractions and art galleries located right on your doorstep.

Here we run through some of the best art galleries Dublin has to offer.

National Gallery of Ireland

Admission: free

At the corner of Merrion Square West and Clare Street, the recently renovated National Gallery is a treasure trove of permanent and temporary art exhibitions. Highlights include Ireland’s National Portrait Collection, the Yeats Archive and stained glass by Harry Clarke.

A short walk away is the National Photographic Archive, which also hosts regular exhibitions based on the photographic collections of the National Gallery.

Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane

Admission: free

Hugh Lane held the first exhibition of Irish art in London in 1904. Four years later, he established the world’s first gallery of modern art in Dublin city centre. The gallery then acquired the studio and archive of Francis Bacon and continues to add to its collection today. Based in Charlemont House on Dublin’s Parnell Square, it attracts art enthusiasts from all corners of the globe.

Dublin’s Huge Lane Gallery

The LAB Gallery

Admission: free

The LAB Gallery is located on Foley Street – just a stone’s throw from Dublin’s main thoroughfare O’Connell Street.

The LAB was established by Dublin city’s local authorities back in 2005 as a municipal arts hub. It offers emerging artists rehearsal and incubation spaces, along with a gallery to showcase their work.

Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA)

Admission: free, timed ticket required

Based among the beautifully manicured gardens of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, IMMA is an artistic treat before you even step through the doors. Established in 1990, the gallery has since become the second-most visited free attraction in Ireland. It houses a wildly diverse array of works, installations and visiting exhibitions. It is definitely one of the art galleries in Dublin most worth visiting.

IMMA is based in a 19th century building that used to be a military hospital

Gallery of Photography

Admission: free

Ireland’s national centre for contemporary photography is located in the heart of Temple Bar. Among the hustle and bustle of Meeting House Square, you’ll find exhibitions, artist mentoring, portfolio printing and photography courses.

Dublin’s Gallery of Photography in Meeting House Square, Temple Bar

Temple Bar Gallery + Studios

Admission: free

This is one of the smaller art galleries in Dublin, but it provides an important space for contemporary artists to create and show their work. Located right in the heart of the city, it’s worth dropping by after a shopping trip to town or a visit to Cows Lane market.

Pallas Projects

Admission: free

Based in The Liberties neighbourhood just south of the River Liffey, Pallas Projects is a non-commercial, artist-run gallery and studio space. Since 1996, it has hosted exhibitions, installations and performances by local and international artists. Visitors can enjoy a diverse range of works from solo projects and group exhibitions. This is one gallery definitely worth supporting.

Molesworth Gallery

Admission: free

The Molesworth Gallery is one of Ireland’s leading contemporary art galleries, representing some of the most acclaimed artists exhibiting in the country today. It hosts eight solo and two curated group exhibitions annually at its gallery space in Dublin’s city centre. Exhibitions are documented in gallery publications ranging from brochures to hardback books. It also collaborates with arts centres and museums to maximise public access to the work of its artists, as well as promoting them at international art fairs.

The gallery covers the ground and first floors of a large Georgian house. A changing display of work by gallery artists may be viewed in its upstairs exhibition space. The groundfloor of the gallery is accessible to wheelchair users and others with mobility challenges.

Molesworth Gallery

Gormleys Art Gallery

Admission: free

Located in the heart of Dublin’s gallery quarter, close to Trinity College, Grafton Street and the National Gallery of Ireland, Gormleys Art Gallery Dublin showcases the best of international and Irish contemporary art.

Covering three floors of a large Georgian House, the gallery has a dedicated outdoor sculpture garden, showcasing large sculptures by leading Irish sculptors.