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The Museum
About The Museum
The National Print Museum was founded by members of the printing industry, spearheaded by Sean Galavan, and officially opened by Mary Robinson in April 1996. The Museum celebrates the story of printing in Ireland and its impact on our lives. As custodian of the national collection of printing, heritage, we preserve the material objects, the stories and the craft of printing and bring history to life for our visitors.
We are a living museum, an active learning centre and one of Dublin’s favourite visitor attractions. We invite people to enjoy the hands-on experience of our permanent collection, or to be inspired by the exhibitions, classes and workshops we offer onsite, online and around Ireland. We offer life-long and life-changing opportunities to learn, including an award-winning local training programme in culture and heritage studies.
Vision & Mission
Our purpose is to celebrate and safeguard the story of printing in Ireland so that everyone may know and be inspired by its impact on our lives.
Our vision is of a future in which the beauty and power of printing continue to transform and enrich our world.
Our mission is twofold: to engage, educate and inspire others as a living museum of printing; and to preserve and share the craft, stories and objects that make up our unique heritage collection while supporting and showcasing the evolving culture and processes of design and print.
- Inviting Discovery
- Caring for our collection, people and the planet
- Creating connection
- Inspiring delight
- Craft and Collection
- Storytelling and Connection
- Learning and Discovery
- Organisation and Impact
National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage
In 2019, the Museum successfully applied to have letterpress printing listed on Ireland’s National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage (under the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage).
