Collins Barracks was an army base for some 200 years before being renovated for use as a museum. The site is named after Michael Collins, the first Commander-in-Chief of the Irish Free State Army. The National Museum of Ireland collects and preserves objects relating to the history and culture of Ireland, and its place in the wider world. Its collections date back more than nine millennia and provide a vital connection to our shared and individual past. The Museum strives to create, support and strengthen an expression of national pride.