Military history museums etc. accessible by public transport?

Louche Lad · 07-08-2022 7:42pm #1

Someone from abroad coming to visit for a couple of weeks, and I want to find something for him to do. His biggest interest is military history, which I know little about. Are there good military-related museums etc. I could take him to? A problem is we don't have a car, so ideally it would have to be somewhere accessible via public transport from Limerick in a day! (* Not averse to staying overnight somewhere if we can find a cheap Airbnb (so probably not Dublin).)

There's this TripAdvisor list, but some are not accessible from Limerick: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186591-Activities-c49-t32-Ireland.html Also, I don't know how good these places are - I'm looking for places that are informative to someone (30s, male, intelligent, continental European) who has a deep interest in military history (preferably covering 20th century, but earlier periods are OK if the place is good).

Also, we plan to stay Belfast for two nights, so somewhere in the North accessible by train or bus would be good too. (A Troubles museum, maybe? But not the Ulster Museum because by chance I visited that a few years ago and wasn't impressed.)

banie01 · 07-08-2022 7:52pm

Spike Island could be worth a shout?

https://www.spikeislandcork.ie/getting-here/

There's also the Collins Barracks museum in Cork too. Along with the other Defence forces museums particularly the Curragh.

https://www.military.ie/en/public-information/defence-forces-museums/

Dohvolle · 07-08-2022 8:43pm

Collins Bks Museum in Dublin is at a Luas stop. Collins Bks Cork is difficult to get to by public transport. Spike Island must be booked in advance.

Louche Lad · 07-08-2022 11:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119442399#Comment_119442399

Thanks, useful.

Larbre34 · 08-08-2022 12:17am

If you're going to Belfast, take a Black Cab tour. It basically turns the whole City, or at least the most troubled working class and interface areas during the worst of The Troubles, into a Museum.

Also, if you do get to Collins Barracks in Dublin and you have some time after, visit the National War Memorial Gardens, commemorating those killed in service in World War 1. I personally think its a hidden gem of Dublin parks and a beautiful cenotaph at its centre. Bus C5/C6 will drop you close by.

jonnybigwallet · 08-08-2022 10:24am

Not been that way in donkeys years but if ur on the Beara peninsula it's quite interesting to have a look at what's left of the fortifications and coastal batteries on Beare Island.

Dohvolle · 08-08-2022 10:53am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119443936#Comment_119443936

The Beara peninsula, and the fortifications on Bere Island are not well served by public transport. Even if you were lucky enough to find a bus to get you to Castletownbere, the Ferry from the town delivers you to the opposite end of the Island to anything of historical significance, and it's 6 miles long and 2 miles wide (as anyone who has served there will well know).

That's why the islanders leave their cars unlocked, with the keys in them.

08-08-2022 11:40am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119444063#Comment_119444063

As well as the daily Bus Eireann services, Harringtons run a bus from Bantry to CTB. You can get off the bus a couple of miles before CTB at the golf club and walk down to the ferry to Lawrence Cove at the other end of Bere Island close to the military installations.

http://lawrencecovemarina.ie/about/ferry_east/

Dohvolle · 08-08-2022 12:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119444283#Comment_119444283

To be fair, the pontoon is hard to find if you weren't local. It also looks derelict.

Ger Roe · 08-08-2022 12:08pm

OP when you said that you visited the Ulster Museum and was not impressed... did you go to the transport museum section in Cultra?

I was very impressed with it ..... big steam trains, cars, boats and aircraft .... well worth a visit.

https://visitbelfast.com/partners/ulster-transport-museum/

Louche Lad · 08-08-2022 3:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119444407#Comment_119444407

No, it was the Ulster Museum in Belfast, where they had a section on the Troubles. I wasn't that interested to be honest, and I can only remember that it was a bit feeble. Some photos, some letters and so on, nothing really left an impression. This was autumn 2018.

Stovepipe · 26-09-2022 8:25pm

The Curragh Museum. There's also one in Carlow and there's always William Sullivan's excellent Irish Military War Museum in Collon, County Meath.

10-10-2022 12:22am

I called to the Curragh museum a few months ago. There’s a lot of good exhibits but it like the DF themselves it just reeks of lack of interest and neglect. It actually saddened me.

Military history museums etc. accessible by public transport?

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