To champion print and its impact on the world.
To promote a greater understanding of the historical significance and the contemporary relevance of printing in Ireland by exploring its heritage, craft and technology.
Integrity | Discovery | Vision | Innovation | Inclusion
The National Print Museum tells the historical and contemporary story of printing and its relationship to, and impact on, the stories of Irish people and Ireland itself. Print has enriched and inspired the world and our lives. Now an intrinsic part of our everyday, the development, prosperity and rich heritage of Irish printing is important part to our national story of craft and industry. This story is what we champion in our unique, living museum. The National Print Museum collection is not behind glass or rope. It features fully operational letterpress printing equipment, laid out like a traditional print-shop where visitors can get a hands-on experience of Ireland’s print heritage in its truest authentic form. Letterpress is a form of relief printing, invented by Johannes Gutenberg in 1439. This invention was arguably one of the most impactful of all times. Civilization has benefitted from few things more acutely as the printed word: printing allowed ideas and free thought to travel widely and quickly, the printed page defying and expanding borders.