'Dead Zoo' won't reopen until 'well into 2030s', PAC told

Updated / Thursday, 5 Nov 2026 13:17

The Public Accounts Committee has heard that the Natural History Museum will not reopen until the 2030s, with €3.6 million spent on its refurbishment to date and no final budget in place.

The Natural History Museum, known as the 'Dead Zoo' in Dublin, closed in September 2024 to facilitate major refurbishment works.

It was built in 1856 and is often referred to as a 'museum in a museum'.

Its Keeper of Natural History Paolo Viscardi previously said the plans for the building may have been destroyed in the Customs House fire during the War of Independence.

He said last year that a "huge amount of work" has to be done "because it's never had any kind of major refurbishment before".

This morning, Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee John Brady criticised a "lack of urgency" on the project, saying under current plans "it will not be reopening well until 2030s at the earliest".

He said this would come as a huge disappointment to members of the public.

In correspondence to the committee, the Office of Public Works said the museum's refurbishment is "by its very nature, a challenging and difficult undertaking".

Its chairman John Conlon said over €2m has been spent removing artefacts and historic cases, and on their transport, packaging, storage, conservation, art handling, and project management.

Mr Brady said: "Given the length of time this facility has already been closed, we are entitled to ask why progress has been so incredibly slow.

"Of equal concern is the level of public money already spent on the project, which now exceeds €3.6m, despite there being no final budget yet in place," he said.

Committee members will seek more detail on the €3.6m spent to date, and a comprehensive breakdown of the timeline of works.

Mr Brady called for "firm reassurance that this project will not become yet another example of runaway spending by the OPW".