Marcon complete prestigious National Museum Ireland Fit-Out
National Museum of Ireland appointed Marcon to bring their latest exhibition to life.
The highly anticipated exhibition, opened in June 2025 and showcases early medieval manuscripts from Switzerland’s Stiftsbibliothek St Gallen, providing an immersive journey through Ireland’s rich historical and artistic connections to Europe.
Housed in the museum’s main building on Kildare Street, the exhibition transports visitors through a geographical and historical narrative, evoking a sense of movement through landscapes and settlements, capturing both the physical and intellectual journeys of early medieval scholars.
As part of the fit-out, Marcon integrated large-scale manuscript quotations into the exhibition. A key feature was the use of reconstruction drawings and multimedia elements to illustrate early medieval landscapes, settlements, and society. A short film on the Life of St Gall, provided by Stiftsbibliothek St Gallen, was adapted into English and Irish and incorporated into the exhibition experience.
Undertaking a museum-grade fit-out within a listed and operational building presents its own unique challenges, from structural limitations to stakeholder coordination. One of the most technically demanding aspects involved the engineering of an 18-metre exhibition wall. Due to the structural constraints of the existing timber joist ceiling and restrictions on fixing to the protected floor, the walling had to be entirely self-supporting without additional base weights.
The team developed a bespoke solution to overcome these challenges, ensuring the wall remained stable and secure. The exhibition structures were designed to be modular, allowing them to be disassembled and transported through restricted back-of-house areas, ensuring minimal disruption to the building’s daily operations.
Another critical aspect of the delivery involved working closely with the client’s direct contractors who were responsible for mounting the artefacts. This required detailed planning and close coordination with multiple stakeholders throughout the project timeline ensuring alignment and prevent clashes.
Noise and dust mitigation were also top priorities. With the building remaining open to the public during works, construction activities were carefully managed to avoid disrupting the client’s ongoing operations.
Martin McErlean, Contract Manager for the project, reflected on the collaborative effort behind the successful delivery:
“It was a privilege to work with National Museums Ireland, Studio MB, and our dedicated supply chain to bring this space to life. The challenges of delivering within a live, listed environment required tight coordination, technical ingenuity, and a truly collaborative approach. Close coordination and a strong team effort made the difference, and we’re proud to have contributed to such a culturally significant project.”
Image Credit: © National Museum of Ireland
