Super exhibit with a point to make

THE Natural History Museum, closed for three years following the collapse of a staircase, has reopened in Dublin’s Kildare Street.

The place has been given a facelift, new lighting has been installed, specimens have been cleaned or replaced but, thankfully, the unique 19th Century ambience of this venerable institution is still intact.

Irish wild creatures are exhibited on the ground floor, while the first floor has a selection of large animals from elsewhere in the world. These include the walrus, a species which occasionally visits Ireland, and skeletons of whales which frequent our coast. There isn’t enough room for them on the ground floor.