Want to visit the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum?
Listen to a unique, virtual tour of the famous EPIC Irish Emigration museum in Dublin, Ireland through our Ireland travel podcast. As the world’s first fully interactive digital museum, the EPIC museum is an impressive stop just for the digital museum experience, but that’s not the only reason why EPIC is a must see a thing to do in while in Ireland on vacation. With 70 million people worldwide claiming Irish heritage it is also a beacon from a homeland with a rich tapestry of stories to share. EPIC is the story if Irish emigration and what happened across the world as a result of the Irish influencers worldwide who have shaped our modern societies through charitable causes, scientific advances, sports, politics, literature and art.
Listen to “A Virtual Tour of Dublin’s EPIC Museum – The Story of Irish Emigration” on Spreaker.
The museum opened in May 2016, starting around 350 on the list of things to do in Ireland. By October 2017, it was listed #8 on TripAdvisors list, and by Spring of 2018 it ranked #5. And, if you visit, you will see why too. While hopefully someday every person of Irish descent will have the opportunity to visit Ireland, as a placeholder we hope that you enjoy this unique opportunity to get a short audio tour from Rory Cummins of the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin. Visit EPIC museum website here.
THE STORY BEHIND EPIC – HOW IRELAND DECIDED TO BUILD AN EMIGRATION MUSEUM
In 1990 Mary Robinson was elected the first female president of Ireland and in her speech she was the first ever elected official to draw attention to the fact that 70 million people in the world today claim Irish heritage. And she promised that she would lights a candle in the window of the president’s residence to welcome people home. Mary Robinson had the distinct honor to recognize the impact of Irish emigration and welcome people home on a grander scale, as the opening dignitary for EPIC Irish Emigration Museum in May 2016.
EPIC Irish Emigration Museum took about a year and a half to build and includes a beacon candle in the window as well.
“This is our candle in the window. So this is to welcome back immigrants home as it’s never turned off despite the best efforts of the staff.” – Rory Cummins, EPIC Ireland
EPIC museum Dublin is self guided tour. First, you get your ticket upstairs to the ticket desk, then go downstairs where you’re given a passport that is a map and guide around the museum galleries. There are also optional recorded audio guides, plus museum staff guides are also in the galleries. EPIC museum entrance ticket is included for free as part of the Dublin City Pass, or EPIC tickets can also be purchased in advance online through sites such as Get Your Guide or you can also purchase on site at the museum.
EPIC museum tickets are good for the whole day, so you can go and get coffee or lunch if you want and then come back. The record for longest visit in one sitting is five hours, but generally it takes about an hour and a half to two hours to do the tour for most people.
Before you enter the galleries, in the entrance hall you will see on the wall a quote,
“We all come from somewhere.”
This sets the scene to start. Emigration is something that is part of the Irish psyche and over the last seven hundred years, about ten million people have left Ireland. Considering that today’s population is only about four and a half million, it’s a huge part of Ireland’s makeup. Then, worldwide about 70 million people around the world today claim Irish heritage.
The end result is a huge scattering in the world today of people with Irish heritage that want to hold onto their Irish roots. What EPIC The Story of Irish Emigration does is tell the story of that emigration, over a period of five to seven hundred years.
What is inside EPIC, Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin, Ireland?
EPIC Dublin museum is organized into three top themes, with galleries for each
- Motivation
- Influence
- CelebrationList of galleries at EPIC museum within each theme:MOTIVATIONAn Open Island
Leaving the Island
Arriving in a New World
Belief
Hunger, Work & Community
Conflict
State & SocietyINFLUENCE
Changing the Game
Playing the World
Discovering & Inventing
Leading Change
Achieving Infamy
Music & Dance
Eating & Drinking
Creating & Designing
StorytellingCELEBRATION
Celebration
Connection
We took quite a few photos and some video inside the museum with permission, and below is a slide show. These images show a variety of the EPIC museum galleries that visitors can explore and discover.
If you listen to the podcast episode, you will hear Rory share with you some of the of stories that you can discover inside the museum galleries, along with travel podcast host Laura H. sharing more details on her experiences there.
Overall, our lasting impression was….”Wow.”
With amazing interactive technology that brings stories to life, just the technology aspects of this museum are enough justify spending a few hours. Then add-on top of that the sense of connection to Irish culture worldwide, a feeling of shared spirit, along with empathy for the people and pride in their stories of contribution. The end result of this experience recipe should make anyone of Irish descent feel proud of their heritage and leave feeling like they are part of something bigger than themselves.
Tickets to EPIC are reasonable (less than $20 US at the time of this posting) and in our opinion it’s a great value for your money as a visiting tourist. After the photo slide show are some links for more information and ticket purchase, along with some other suggestions of interesting things to do in Dublin for your vacation planning. Trying to figure out the best things to do during your visit to Dublin, Ireland? We say make a stop a the EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum… and if you are curious about YOUR IRISH HERITAGE, stop at the Irish Family Heritage Center located near the gift shop of the EPIC museum. There, you can rent computer time or schedule time with an expert to help you navigate ancestry websites and public records to help you uncover your Irish family roots.
Enjoy!
BOOK TICKETS FOR THE EPIC MUSEUM, PLUS TWO MORE IDEAS FOR EXPLORING IRISH HISTORY AND EMIGRATION.
LOOKING FOR IRELAND VACATION PLANNING IDEAS? MORE THINGS TO SEE & DO
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