COLLINS MILITARY BARRACKS

COLLINS MILITARY BARRACKS [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF IRELAND]

Collins Barracks is a former military barracks in the Arbour Hill area of Dublin, Ireland. The buildings now house the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts and History.

Previously housing both British Armed Forces and Irish Army garrisons through three centuries, the barracks were the oldest continuously occupied example in the world. Built in 1702, and further extended in the late 18th century and 19th century, the complex's main buildings are neo-classical in style.

Originally called simply The Barracks, and later The Royal Barracks, the name was changed in 1922 by the Irish Free State to "Collins Barracks", in honour of Michael Collins, who had been killed earlier that year. Since 1997 the barracks have been home to collections of the National Museum of Ireland (for Decorative Arts and History exhibits), and the original structures have seen some award winning redevelopment and conservation work to support this new role.