A new exhibition of over 250 original fossils has gone on display in UCC, including bones from the only known dinosaurs from Ireland.
Opened by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, the exhibition, called The Domain of the Dinosaurs, features eight-metre-long skeletons of the only dinosaurs known to have existed in Ireland. There are nine life-sized skeleton casts, including the Megalosaurus, Scelidosaurus and Iguanodon dinosaurs, along with marine reptiles and pterosaurs, the flying cousins of dinosaurs.
The exhibition, which takes place in the university’s Glucksman Gallery, features over 250 real fossil specimens from land, sea and air, complemented by a series of older, pre-dinosaur Irish fossils. By pairing these fossils with new artworks by Irish artists, the exhibition gives these ancient specimens a very human connection with the modern world.
“The Domain of the Dinosaurs is a fantastic collaboration of science and the arts that truly captures the imagination,” said the taoiseach. “It is wonderful to have this engaging exhibition open during Science Week. I encourage everyone to visit the Glucksman Gallery and see it.”
The exhibition is the largest dinosaur exhibition ever in Ireland, and it took a team of twelve people a week to assemble, with specialists flying in from three countries to build the dinosaur skeletons.
The skeleton casts of Megalosaurus, a two-legged predator, and Scelidosaurus, an armored herbivore, are the only known dinosaurs from the island of Ireland. Bones from both these dinosaurs were discovered in the 1980s by the late Roger Byrne, a schoolteacher and fossil collector, on a beach in Antrim.
According to Professor Maria McNamara, Professor of Palaeontology at UCC, visitors to the exhibition can see the real fossil evidence of those extinct creatures, including fossil footprints, trees, insects, giant flying reptiles called pterosaurs, and lots of marine animals including giant predators such as the ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs. “There’s even fossilised dinosaur eggs and poo,” she says.
“Fossils occupy a very special place in human society that defies definition. On one hand, fossils are hugely important scientific objects that record the evolution of life and climate on our planet, helping scientists predict how climate change will impact biodiversity. On the other hand, fossils invite us to reflect on the passage of time, and our place as individuals – and as a society – in time and space.”
The exhibition will run at the Glucksman Gallery website until April 12, 2026, and will be accompanied by an exciting programme of events. This includes special tours led by UCC palaeontologists, panel discussions featuring international fossil experts and artists, public lectures and creative workshops for all ages and abilities. The full programme of events will be advertised here.
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