Once the largest military barracks in Europe

Collins Barracks was built in 1702 and was one of the largest barracks in Europe. It was, with the exception of the Royal Hospital at Kilmainham the earliest public building in the city. In 1798, Wolfe Tone, one of the leaders of the 1798 rebellion was convicted of treason here. It was re-named after Michael Collins, the first Commander-in-Chief of the Irish Free State Army. Collins was killed in 1922 in County Cork 4 months before the barracks were surrendered to the Free State Army. General Richard Mulcahy, who formally accepted the handover, immediately named the site after Collins. The old barracks, which had billets, stables, a riding school, drilling grounds, and firing ranges, have now been transformed into galleries by the National Museum of Ireland for exhibitions. There are rare artifacts ranging from weaponry, furniture, folklife, silver, ceramics, and glassware. It also houses a permanent exhibition about the Easter Rising, called ‘Understanding 1916’.