The timing of when the Natural History Museum will reopen, and the final budget for its redevelopment, remain unclear almost two years after it closed for refurbishment.
The popular museum on Merrion Street has been closed since September 2024 to allow for investigative works before the overhaul of the building, including replacement of the roof.
The cost of the project is more than €3.3 million so far, with the main construction work yet to begin.
Records released after a freedom of information request show how the possibility of delay in finalising the project brief was among the risks identified by a team overseeing the restoration.
READ MORE
With the completion of design work – and planning permission and procurement processes – still to happen, the final budget and date for the museum to reopen are unknown. Most of its exhibits are in storage, though the basking shark and elephant remain on site due to their large size and absence of appropriate exits to remove them.
Some exhibits, including the giraffe and about 1,300 other objects, were put on display at the Dead Zoo Lab in the National Museum, Collins Barracks, last August.
Eruption of violence in Northern Ireland echoes the Troubles
Indicative overall costs of between €50 million and €100 million for the Natural History Museum project were included in the Department of Culture’s plans for its allocation under the National Development Plan. The “indicative construction timeline” is listed as “post-2028”.
In response to queries, the department said the museum redevelopment, with its “precious and delicate collection, is by its very nature, a challenging and difficult undertaking.”
It said the building, erected in 1856, has never had a substantial renovation and requires “full refurbishment to tackle its many structural, service and occupational deficiencies”.
The department mentioned the estimated €50 million to €100 million cost range and said: “Estimated costs and timelines continue to be refined as the project progresses towards the final business case.”
It also said: “All costs will be re-examined before [a] decision is made to award contract(s).”
In total, the department has allocated €3,728,721 to date to cover National Museum of Ireland (NMI) and Office of Public Works (OPW) costs for progressing the design phases of the project, with spending coming to a combined €3,336,835 so far.
Of the sums allocated by the department, €963,607 is for architect fees. Spending by the NMI includes €193,024 on “specimen conservation” while the OPW spent €195,526 on “investigation works”.
Records that were released include minutes of the meetings of the steering group overseeing the project.
A December 2025 meeting heard that a risk register was updated as stage one of the project progressed and “five key risks were identified” including a delay to finalising the project brief.
A department statement said the Natural History Museum redevelopment project “will address long-standing issues” regarding the building.
The department said the project brief “remains unchanged” and in April, “the redevelopment project has reached Stage 2” which will focus on further design development, planning permission and the development of a procurement strategy.
Stage 1 of the project is said to have “concluded in accordance with the original project timeline.”
The Department’s statement also said: “While completion of the design will help to more accurately estimate the costs and duration of the project, it is the market response to any tenders that will ultimately inform the project budget.”
It added: “At this stage of the project, it is also not possible to provide a definitive project programme, as the final timeline remains dependent upon securing necessary approvals, statutory compliance processes, completing detailed design work, and the conclusion of the procurement process.”
A preliminary business case for the project was approved in 2022.
The three organisations involved in the project: the department, NMI and OPW refused to release a copy of this business case, citing a freedom of information exemption for “commercially sensitive information”.
,
