The exhibitions have been designed in innovative and contemporary galleries. The Fonthill Vase, a Chinese porcelain vase made about 1300 A.D., is one of the rarest pieces in the museum. It is world-renowned as one of the best documented pieces of early porcelain. The William Smith O’ Brien Gold Cup, the Eileen Gray chrome table and the Lord Chancellor’s Mace are also among the highlights.

The initial buildings at Collins Barracks were started in 1702 and were designed by Captain Thomas Burgh. The complex, which includes eighteenth and nineteenth century buildings, housed troops continually for over three centuries. Originally the complex was known as 'The Barracks' , but changed in the early nineteenth century to the 'Royal Barracks' . In 1922 the whole complex was handed over to the troops of the Free State army and was immediately named Collins Barracks after Michael Collins, the first commander-in-chief of the Irish Free State.