The National Gallery of Ireland says an increase in visitors was driven by critically successful exhibitions
National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin(Image: Collins)
The National Gallery of Ireland welcomed over one million visitors again in 2025.
In total, 1,049,683 visitors attended the gallery over the course of the year, representing the third consecutive year the gallery has welcomed over one million visitors.
The National Gallery of Ireland says an increase in visitors was driven by critically successful exhibitions including Turner’s Watercolours: Scotland’s Vaughan Bequest; Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone. The Art of Friendship; Picasso: From the Studio and the AIB Portrait Prize and AIB Young Portrait Prize.
Other exhibitions and displays at the Gallery in 2025 included; Ludovico Mazzolino’s The Crossing of the Red Sea; An Artist’s Presence; Créatúir na Cartlainne/Tails from the Archive; and Maurice Marinot – On Paper, In Glass.
A visitor looks at The Taking of Christ by Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio inside the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin (Image: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
In 2025, the gallery completed a wide range of new acquisitions including: Woman in costume (Self-portrait), 1917 by Kathleen Fox (1880 – 1963); Seated Woman Reading, 1884 by Frank O’Meara (1853 – 1888) and two works by Harry Clarke (1889 – 1931); The Lady of the Decoration, 1914 and Faust 1924/25.
Highlights in 2025 include the appointment of the inaugural Cultural Art Psychotherapist in Residence, extending the Gallery’s work in the field of arts and health; enhancing the Schools Partnership with SMBC Aviation Capital to address barriers to the arts for children and young people across the country; celebrating our National Language through events trí Ghaeilge, and the continued success of the annual National Drawing Day.
National Gallery of Ireland(Image: Google Maps)
Welcoming the news, Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD, said: “Welcoming over one million visitors once again is a remarkable achievement for the National Gallery of Ireland and a powerful vote of confidence in our National Cultural Institutions.
“For the third year in a row, the Gallery has reached this milestone — proof of its enduring appeal and its vital place in Ireland’s cultural life, attracting people from right across the country and around the world.
“I am proud that Government investment is helping the Gallery to grow its reach — particularly through initiatives that connect more young people with art and projects that bring creativity into healthcare settings. That is culture making a real difference in people’s lives.”
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