National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin 2

The National Gallery of Ireland was established by an Act of Parliament in 1854 and first opened its doors to the public in January 1864. Today the collection includes over 2,500 paintings and some 10,000 other works in different media including watercolours, drawings, prints and sculpture. Every major European School of painting is extensively represented. It also houses a renowned collection of Irish paintings. The gallery's highlights include the Yeats Museum, and works by Vermeer, Caravaggio, Picasso, Van Gogh and Monet. Enjoy visiting the National Gallery of Ireland and its award winning Millennium Wing."

• The success of the Gallery is, in part, due to the succession of gifted directors who established the international reputation of the Gallery by purchasing important works of famous artists both European and Irish. George Bernard Shaw spent many a youthful day appreciating the treasures and his bequests to the Gallery, principally the royalties from "Pygmalion" and the its successor, the film "My Fair Lady", have helped to further enrich the collection and make the National Gallery one of the finest for its size in the world.