What Is the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum?

EPIC occupies the vaults of the CHQ Building on Custom House Quay — a listed 1820s bonded warehouse originally built by engineer John Rennie and completed by Thomas Telford to store goods brought up the Liffey. The museum opened in May 2016, officially launched by former Irish President Mary Robinson, and was privately funded (roughly €15 million) by Neville Isdell, the former chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. It was designed by Event Communications, the same London studio behind Titanic Belfast.

The visit runs through 20 individually themed galleries organized into four sections — Migration, Motivation, Influence, and Diaspora Today — tracing how Irish emigrants shaped everything from country music and Riverdance to global politics, sport, and business. Rather than static display cases, EPIC leans on video walls, motion-sensor quizzes, dance experiences, and remastered archive audio; it's been described as one of the first fully digital museums of its kind, and it won Europe's Leading Tourist Attraction at the World Travel Awards three years running (2019–2021). The same building also houses the Irish Family History Centre, a paid genealogy research service for visitors tracing Irish ancestry.

EPIC Museum Tickets & Prices 2026

Per the official ticketing page, adult general admission is €22.00 at standard rates, €17.60 if booked 30 days or more in advance online, or €16.00 for a Super Saver slot in the 5pm–5:15pm window. Child admission (general) is €11.00, with 30-day advance pricing at €8.80; senior general admission is €19.00, dropping to €15.20 with 30-day advance booking. A daily guided tour departs at 1pm for €25.00 per adult and €11.00 per child, and a private tour for up to six people is available from €225.00 for two adults. These figures were current on the official site at the time of writing — always confirm before you buy, since EPIC adjusts pricing periodically.

Family packages are priced as bundles rather than per-head add-ups: one adult plus two children is €39.00, two adults plus one child is €47.00, and two adults plus two children is €57.00. A genuinely useful detail buried in the fine print — general admission and family tickets include a free return visit within 10 days of your first entry, so a family that splits their trip across two days doesn't need to pay twice. Super Saver tickets are excluded from that perk. If you're weighing whether a multi-attraction pass covers EPIC, our Dublin Pass worth-it breakdown is worth checking before you buy individual tickets.

Opening Hours & Best Time to Visit

As of mid-2026, EPIC is open all seven days of the week from 10am to 6:45pm, with last admission at 5pm — arriving after 5pm means you won't be let in even though the building stays open later. From June through August, the museum opens an hour earlier, at 9am, to absorb summer visitor volume. No specific annual closure dates were listed on the official site at the time of research, but major Irish public holidays can affect hours at any Dublin attraction, so it's worth a quick check on the official EPIC website shortly before you travel, particularly around Christmas.

Because the galleries are entirely self-guided and digital rather than group-paced, EPIC doesn't suffer the same bottleneck crowding as a guided brewery or castle tour — but cruise-ship days and summer afternoons still bring noticeably more foot traffic through the Docklands. The first two hours after opening and the final ninety minutes before last entry (from roughly 3:30pm) tend to be the quietest windows, and they're also when Super Saver-eligible late slots become available for a lower price.

How Long Does EPIC Take to Visit?

Budget roughly 1.5 to 2.5 hours to move through all 20 galleries at a comfortable pace — the digital, interactive format (touchscreens, motion-sensor stations, video booths) tends to hold visitors longer per room than a traditional glass-case museum, especially if you stop to read display text or try the interactive elements rather than skim past them. Visitors who also book time at the on-site Irish Family History Centre for genealogy research should add a separate hour or more, since that's a distinct paid service rather than part of the standard gallery walk.

Most people treat EPIC as a half-day stop that pairs naturally with a full day exploring the rest of the city centre. If you're plotting a broader trip, our 2-day Dublin itinerary shows where a Docklands morning or afternoon fits alongside the city's other major sights.

How to Get to the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum

EPIC is located at CHQ, Custom House Quay, Dublin 1, D01 R9Y0, in the Docklands area on the north bank of the Liffey, close to the Custom House itself, the Jeanie Johnston famine ship replica, and the National Famine Memorial statues along the quay. It's roughly a 10 to 15-minute walk from O'Connell Street and central Dublin, and the Luas Red Line stops within a short walk of the CHQ building, making it easy to combine with a tram-based day out.

Several Dublin Bus routes serve the surrounding Docklands streets, and the museum sits close enough to the city centre that a taxi or rideshare from most central hotels takes only a few minutes. On-street parking near the quays is limited and metered; public transport or walking from the city centre is the more practical approach for most visitors.

Visit Tips: Queues, Booking & Common Mistakes

Book at least 30 days ahead online if you can — the advance rate saves roughly 20% off the door price for adults and seniors, and locking in a time slot removes any risk of a sold-out afternoon during peak summer weeks. Remember that last entry is 5pm even though the building is open until 6:45pm; arriving at 5:15pm expecting to get in is a common and avoidable mistake.

Don't forget the free return visit within 10 days on general admission and family tickets — it's easy to miss in the booking flow, but it means you can split a dense trip across two shorter visits instead of rushing all 20 galleries in one sitting. If you're combining EPIC with genealogy research at the adjoining Irish Family History Centre, book that separately in advance, since it runs on its own schedule rather than being bundled automatically into museum admission.

Nearby Attractions Near EPIC

Temple Bar is the closest lively district, roughly a 15 to 20-minute walk south across the river, and makes a natural next stop for food or an evening pint once the galleries close. Our guide to Temple Bar covers what's actually worth doing there versus what's tourist-trap pricing.

Heading further into the historic core, Dublin Castle is about a 20-minute walk and pairs well with a half-day itinerary, while St. Patrick's Cathedral sits a little further south again for visitors building out a full day on foot.

Frequently Asked Questions