Ireland’s Dinosaurs Reach Home: A New Exhibition at UCC

University College Cork’s Glucksman Gallery is hosting a groundbreaking exhibition, “The Domain of the Dinosaurs,” bringing the prehistoric past of Ireland to life. For the first time, the Irish public will have the opportunity to view life-sized skeletons of Megalosaurus and Scelidosaurus, the only dinosaurs currently known to have inhabited the island of Ireland.

A Window into Ireland’s Deep Past

The exhibition, which runs from November 16th, 2025, to April 12th, 2026, features over 250 fossil specimens representing life from land, sea, and air. These fossils are complemented by artworks from five Irish artists – Tom Climent, Johanna Connor, Damien Flood, Angela Gilmour, and Emma O’Hara – who have created pieces inspired by Ireland’s fossil record, extending back millions of years before the dinosaurs.

The Two Irish Dinosaurs

To date, only two dinosaur fossils have been discovered in Ireland. One is a fragment of a hind leg bone belonging to Scelidosaurus, an armored, four-legged herbivore reaching almost 4 meters (13 feet) in length. The other is a piece of a hindlimb bone potentially from Megalosaurus, a large, carnivorous dinosaur and one of the first dinosaurs ever discovered and named. According to the Irish Examiner, Megalosaurus was a two-legged, 3-meter-tall meat-eater, while Scelidosaurus was a four-legged herbivore, growing up to 4 meters long.

Artistic Interpretations of Deep Time

Artist Emma O’Hara, a Cork-based printmaker and sculptor, was commissioned to respond to a fossil of Archaeopteris, a fern-like plant over 400 million years traditional found in County Kilkenny. O’Hara created ceramic tiles screen-printed with the fossil’s image, replicating the process of fossilization through heat and compression.

Visiting the Exhibition

The Glucksman Gallery offers both guided tours and free admission options. Guided tours are available on weekdays at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, and 4pm, and on weekends at 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, and 4pm, costing €5 plus a booking fee. Free admission is available at 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, 3:30pm, and 4:30pm daily, without the need for booking. School tours are also available on weekdays.

“The Domain of the Dinosaurs” is a collaborative effort developed by Fiona Kearney, Director of the Glucksman, and Maria McNamara, Professor of Palaeontology at University College Cork. The exhibition is supported by University College Cork, Research Ireland, the European Union, the Arts Council of Ireland, and private philanthropy through Cork University Foundation.