Sketching Tour

Take a deeper look at the national collection with an artist from our guide panel. Use sketching to observe and respond to details and techniques. Your tour will look in depth at key works as selected by the artist.
Before or after your tour you may wish to explore our rich bank of schools resources for tailored information, hi-res images, activity ideas and lesson plans. If you would like to visit any free exhibitions on your tour you can add them to the booking form, here is the most up to date list of exhibitions.

• Materials provided.
• Booking is essential. 
• Only dry materials are allowed in the gallery rooms.
• We can accommodate a maximum of 30 students per tour.
• Your group must be separated into groups of 15 students, each group accompanied by an adult.
• Please read the Teachers' Information Pack carefully in advance of your tour as it contains important safety information.

Suitable for: Primary & Post-Primary
Duration: 60 mins
Cost: €35 per group (each group is up to 15 students, if you wish to book more than 15 students please select more than one group.)

(Please Note: The Gallery covers half the cost of this special offering (core tour element) and so the fee charged is for schools to cover the additional provision of sketching tuition)

Private Tour

Experience the National Gallery of Ireland's permanent collection and free temporary exhibitions with a bespoke 50-minute guided tour. Each tour caters for up to 15 people and can be tailored to your group's needs and interests. A tour costs €100 total inclusive of VAT. If you wish to book more than 15 people please select more than one group. 

Tours must be booked at least two weeks in advance. We do not run Private Tours in August. If you would like to visit any free exhibitions on your tour you can add them to the booking form, here is the most up to date list of exhibitions. If you would like to book a tour of a paid exhibition please contact tours@ngi.ie. 

You can see some tour theme ideas here.

If you purchased a tour voucher in advance please contact tours@ngi.ie. 

Please only select one group or class at a time per time slot. If no time appears below, the date is fully booked.

Online Third Level Sessions

We are now offering in-depth tailored online sessions looking at selected works from the Gallery's collection within particular frameworks. These sessions are for third-level students who wish to expand understanding of related course modules, engage in critical thinking, and explore key themes and discourses.

Lecturers and students are welcome to book a free, 50-minute session on the topics listed below. Sessions must be booked at least two weeks in advance. Below is a list of themes available. Please select which theme you would like in the booking form:

The Arts and Crafts Movement in Ireland

A discussion on the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement's key themes using a selection of objects from the Gallery's art collection and the ESB Centre for the Study of Irish Art archives. This session will examine how makers employed Arts and Crafts ideas to consider both national and personal identities and conclude with an exploration of the Celtic Revival. We will look at the following objects:

• Harry Clarke, A floral textile design, 1918/19
• Susan Mary “Lily” Yeats, embroidered rose and olive cushion cover, designed by William Morris, c.1902, silk thread and wool embroidery on blue poplin, National Gallery of Ireland, Yeats Archive.
• Photograph of An Túr Gloine stained glass studio, c.1904, National Gallery of Ireland, ESB Centre for the Study of Irish Art, An Túr Gloine Archive.

The sublime

A discussion on the sublime in art, supported by Edmund Burke’s A Philosophical Inquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, looking at the works such as: 

• J.M.W Turner, A Ship against the Mewstone, at the Entrance to Plymouth Sound, 1814 
• Andrew Nicholl, Baily Lighthouse, Howth, County Dublin, in Stormy Weather, 1835
• George Barret, A Stormy Landscape, 1760 

Cubism

A discussion on the renowned art movement, supported by art-historical and philosophical texts, looking at the works such as: 

• Mainie Jellett, Decoration, 1923
• Juan Gris, Pierrot, 1921
• Pablo Picasso, Still Life with a Mandolin, 1924

The Emancipated Spectator

Focusing on Daniel Maclise's The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife, a discussion on potential experiences of the painting supported by Jacques Rancière’s essay The Emancipated Spectator.

Highlights in the National Collection

Explore treasures of the national collection, through engaging discussions with our expert guides. Focusing on dialogue, questioning and creativity the tour will embolden students to look, respond and form opinions. The tour will be tailored to the level of your group and is available in Irish, English or ISL. These sessions look at works such as:

• Caravaggio, The Taking of Christ, 1602
• Berthe Morisot, Le Corsage Noir, 1878
• Mainie Jellett, A Composition, 1930s
• Jack B. Yeats, The Liffey Swim, 1923
• Saoirse Wall, Gesture 2, 2014

Please contact tours@ngi.ie for any specific requests outside of the above list.