Our Story
Founded in 2015, Gaulish Antiquities Hub emerged from a passionate group of historians, archaeologists, and educators who recognized the need for a dedicated institution focused on Gaulish civilization in Ireland. While Ireland has a rich Celtic heritage, the connections between Irish Celtic culture and the Gaulish peoples of continental Europe have often been overlooked. Our founders sought to bridge this gap by creating a comprehensive resource that explores these historical connections while celebrating the unique achievements of Gaulish society.
The journey began when Dr. Siobhan O'Brien, a renowned archaeologist specializing in Iron Age Europe, returned to Ireland after decades of fieldwork in France and Switzerland. She brought with her not only extensive knowledge but also a network of international colleagues willing to collaborate on creating something unprecedented in Ireland. Together with local historians and museum professionals, she assembled a team committed to making Gaulish history accessible to Irish audiences.
Over the past nine years, we have grown from a small exhibition space to a comprehensive facility featuring permanent galleries, rotating special exhibitions, educational programs, and research facilities. Our collection has expanded through careful acquisitions, loans from partner institutions, and collaborations with archaeological projects across Europe. We have welcomed over 150,000 visitors from Ireland and around the world, hosted hundreds of school groups, and supported dozens of research projects.
Today, Gaulish Antiquities Hub stands as Ireland's premier institution dedicated to Gaulish studies. We maintain partnerships with major museums in France, Switzerland, Belgium, and Germany, allowing us to present artifacts and perspectives that would otherwise be inaccessible to Irish audiences. Our commitment to scholarly excellence, educational innovation, and public engagement continues to drive everything we do.
Our Mission and Values
Our mission is threefold: to preserve and present authentic Gaulish artifacts and historical materials; to educate diverse audiences about Gaulish civilization and its connections to Celtic Ireland; and to support ongoing research into Iron Age European cultures. We believe that understanding the past enriches the present and helps us build a more informed future.
We are guided by core values that shape our operations and decision-making. First, we prioritize authenticity in everything we present. Every artifact is thoroughly documented, every interpretation is grounded in current scholarship, and we clearly distinguish between established facts and ongoing debates. Second, we embrace accessibility, ensuring that our programs and facilities serve people of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities. Third, we maintain transparency in our operations, from our acquisition policies to our educational methodologies.
We also value collaboration, recognizing that meaningful historical understanding requires diverse perspectives and expertise. We work with international institutions, local communities, schools, universities, and individual researchers to create programming that reflects multiple viewpoints. Finally, we are committed to continuous improvement, regularly evaluating our exhibits, programs, and services to ensure they meet the highest standards and serve our visitors' evolving needs.
Our Team
Our team includes professional historians, archaeologists, educators, conservators, and administrative staff. All our tour guides and educators hold advanced degrees in relevant fields and participate in ongoing professional development. Our curatorial staff maintains active research programs and publishes regularly in academic journals. Our conservation team follows international best practices for artifact preservation and storage.
We employ a total of 28 full-time staff members and work with approximately 15 part-time educators and docents. Our volunteer program engages an additional 40 community members who contribute their time and expertise to various projects. We believe in fostering a collaborative, respectful workplace where diverse talents and perspectives are valued.
Our Facilities
Our main facility spans 3,500 square meters and includes permanent exhibition galleries, a rotating special exhibition space, a 120-seat auditorium, three classrooms, a research library, climate-controlled storage, conservation laboratories, and public amenities including a café and gift shop. The building itself is a thoughtfully renovated historic structure that combines period architecture with modern accessibility features and environmental systems.
Our permanent galleries are organized into five main sections: Origins and Early Development (covering the Hallstatt and early La Tène periods), Society and Daily Life, Religion and Ritual, Warfare and Conflict, and Roman Conquest and Transformation. Each gallery features original artifacts, detailed interpretive panels, interactive displays, and multimedia presentations. We update our exhibitions regularly to incorporate new research and visitor feedback.
Community Engagement
We believe museums should serve their communities actively, not just passively await visitors. Our community engagement programs include outreach to schools in underserved areas, free admission days for local residents, public lecture series, collaborative projects with community organizations, and partnerships with local libraries and cultural centers. We also host an annual Gaulish Heritage Festival that attracts thousands of participants and celebrates both ancient and modern connections between Ireland and continental Celtic cultures.
Our education team works directly with teachers to develop curriculum-aligned programs that support classroom learning. We offer free professional development workshops for educators and provide teaching resources that can be used before, during, and after visits. We also run a successful school partnership program that brings our educators into classrooms for multi-session units on ancient civilizations.
Looking Forward
As we look to the future, we are committed to expanding our digital offerings, developing new partnerships with institutions across Europe and beyond, enhancing our research facilities, and continuing to innovate in museum education. We are currently planning a major expansion that will add 1,000 square meters of exhibition space and create dedicated areas for hands-on learning activities. We invite you to join us on this journey of discovery and learning.