Free museum in tiny Irish county is a perfect hidden gem to discover

Dundalk is a populous town located in Ireland’s tiniest county, Co Louth. Here, you will find some hidden gems such as the County Museum.

With free admission, the County Museum in Dundalk is a great little visit when you are exploring this small yet scenic corner of Ireland. This attraction focuses on the industries that Co Louth is known for, such as engineering, distilling, brewing, tobacco production, shoe making, and car manufacturing.

The museum celebrates 30 years this year. However, it is still a largely undiscovered attraction that tourists are often happy they managed to find.

Additionally, the museum explores local history and archeology. Tour guides here also organize tours of the local area, taking tourists through its fascinating history and unique story.

The museum is open from Monday to Saturday and admission is totally free. “The museum opened in 1994 and offers an extensive program of permanent exhibitions, temporary displays, drama presentations, music recitals, lectures, and film,” says Visit Louth.

“The strength of the Museum nonetheless resides in its collection. Chronicling the historical development of County Louth from the Stone Age up to the present, the Museum, through a combination of artifacts and computer interactives, presents this story over three galleries of permanent exhibition.”

But what do visitors say about the County Museum in Dundalk? Well, the reviews are quite positive.

One Tripadvisor reviewer wrote: “Fantastic experience with such wonderful staff, who are extremely passionate and knowledgeable about the displays and the local and county community/ History/heritage, certainly a must visit while touring Dundalk. The audio show is a must.”

Another said: “If you have an hour free I would recommend a visit here. So much information about this town packed into the place. Friendly staff with a good knowledge too.”

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A third wrote: “We spent a great afternoon in the museum starting on the upper floors and moving from pre-history, through to the Medieval period and right up to the present day. The staff on site were welcoming, knowledgeable, and generous with their time.

“We heard lots of stories of mythical figures in Ireland that brought displays alive and wonderful stories about powerful female figures that played prominent roles in Irish Mythology. The museum is right in the center of Dundalk and easy to walk to. A great way to spend an afternoon! Good access for those with a disability too we noticed.”

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