Paolo Viscardi

Image of a visitor exploring 'A Dubliner’s Collection of Asian Art: The Albert Bender Collection'

Image of a Eurasian Elk (Alces alces) on a red background

QUIET HOUR at the Museum
A sensory-friendly space with low lighting, reduced noise & fewer crowds—ideal for neurodivergent visitors & anyone seeking calm.
📍 Collins Barracks, Dublin
📅Saturday 11 October, 10:00am - 11:00am
🔗 Details: www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museum...
#SensoryFriendly

birds.edwardworthlibrary.ie is launched! Thanks to Dr Dominique Crowley (artist), Ms John McGarry and Ms Maria McGarry (Webworks), Mr Paolo Viscardi (Keeper of Natural History at NMI); Dr Elizabethanne Boran (Librarian), Mr Derek O’Reilly (member, BirdWatch Ireland), and Dr Éanna Ní Lamhna.

Friday mystery object #522 answer Last week I presented this mystery bone from the Words on the Wave exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland on Kildare Street: The bone is over a thousand years old, so it's unsurprising that a few of the processes that could be useful for identification have been worn down a little: That said, there was plenty of information remaining to allow several of you to identify the animal, bone type and side of the animal this is from.

The answer to last week's 1000+ year old bony mystery object

Ever wondered what secrets lie behind flamingos, fossils & glass beetles?
Step into late night at the Dead Zoo Lab & meet the experts
📍 National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks
🕕 Thurs 2 Oct | 6–7:30PM
🎟️ Free | Drop-in | All Ages
No booking needed – just curiosity
👉 www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museum...

I don't think this is cow btw 😉

🤣

Friday mystery object #522 This week I have another bony mystery object for you: This one is currently on display in the beautiful Words on the Wave exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland on Kildare Street, but the focus is on the inscription on the bone, rather than the species the bone came from: So, I'd love to hear your thoughts on what this is? Have fun with it!

A 1000+ year old bone to test your identification skills:

Friday mystery object #521 answer Last week I had a genuine mystery object for you to identify that was freshly dug out of the ground: While there were a few suggestions of baked goods on social media, plenty of you spotted what it actually is - with a nod to Adam Yates who was first with the correct identification. The side view is probably the most useful for setting context, as it shows the smooth curve of the head of an articular surface, with an adjacent tuberosity (or sticky-up-bit, if you prefer):

The answer to last week's mystery object. It may look crunchy, but it's not baked - although it may have been roasted or stewed by a Victorian cook.

Come along on Culture Night for a rich and informative historical tour of the National Museum of Ireland – Collins Barracks exploring LGBTQIA+ history in the Museum’s collections. This tour views the Museum’s exhibitions through alternative lenses, bringing some hidden histories and perspectives to the fore.

Drop into the Discovery Zone this Culture Night and choose your favourite animal on display in the new Dead Zoo Lab. Museum Educators will be on hand to answer any curious questions and show-off the new handling carts where you can touch real fossils, fur and bones!

ake part in an engaging, hands-on session exploring the age-old question of how to spend your evening – going out or staying in? This interactive experience offers a unique opportunity to handle a selection of historical objects related to fashion, grooming, and leisure activities of times past, from elegant accessories and grooming tools used to prepare for a night on the town, to the more intimate items associated with domestic entertainment and relaxation.

Step into the past this #CultureNight at Collins Barracks!
Explore fashion, grooming & leisure of bygone eras, join tactile tours & discover LGBTQIA+ stories in our collections.
🐾 Ask about your fave creature in the Dead Zoo Lab!
📍 Fri 19 Sept, 17:00–21:00
🎟️ Free
🔗 www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museum...

Good observations - ruler is in cm btw

Mmm, tasty!

Yes indeed - any idea what it's from?

Friday mystery object #521 This week's mystery object is a return to bony form, with a genuine mystery object dug straight out of the ground: Any idea what this could be? I'm keen to hear your thoughts in the comments below - I hope you have fun with it!

Any idea what this muddy mystery object might be? Let me know what you think!

Certainly looks like it could be one of the small sharks.

Friday mystery object #520 answer Last week I gave you this colourful chap to have a go at identifying: As I mentioned in the previous mystery object answer, parrots can be hard to identify due to the large number of species globally. However, this time the specimen posed no problems for people to identify - perhaps unsurprisingly, given its importance. Chris Jarvis was first in the door with the correct answer - a nice cryptic clue using the…

The answer to last week's colourful mystery object

Friday mystery object #520 The last mystery object proved to be quite difficult, but I gave some pointers on helping with parrot identification, and I thought it might be fun to try another Psittaciform this week: I suspect this might prove to be a bit of an easier bird to identify, so I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on what it might be. Have fun!

It's the Friday mystery object - any idea what this colourful chap could be?

Friday mystery object #519 answer Last week I gave you a bit of tricky mystery object in the form of this colourful character: Obviously it's a parrot of some sort, but there are LOTS of parrots. With over 400 species to choose from, identifying one from a single image is not easy at all. Generally when it comes to parrot identification it's very useful to know where it came from, and without that information this mystery is made even harder - but if I'd provided the locality it would have been way too easy!

The answer to last week's mystery object. Not a Norwegian Blue, but it's certainly a dead parrot - and one that's critically endangered due to climate change.

New Dead Zoo lab opens at National Museum, Collins Barracks The New Dead Zoo Lab has officially opened at The National Museum at Collins Barracks

Another great write up by @dublingazette.bsky.social for the Dead zoo Lab dublingazette.com/whats-on/ent... @nmireland.bsky.social @paoloviscardi.bsky.social

Friday mystery object #519 This week I have a colourful character for you to have a go at identifying: The Order will be easy to figure out, but I'd be keen to see how many of you can work out the species. I hope you have fun with this challenge!

A colourful character to identify in this week's Friday mystery object:

Friday mystery object #518 answer Last week I gave you this mystery object to have a go at identifying: This one is fairly straightforward to get to the superfamily level - it's one of the Sea Turtles (the Chelonioidea). However, despite there only being seven species alive today, their skulls can take a bit of careful observation to distinguish the diagnostic features that offer the clues to a species level identification.

The answer to last week's mystery object and some palatable pointers on turtle skull identification...

It's always useful. Keeps things in perspective and all that.

No, I carry it around with me.

You were on point the first time 😉

Some days it stares back...

Bearded man on left, face to face with a Kudu antelope

Paolo Viscardi, Keeper of Natural History at the National Museum of Ireland @paoloviscardi.bsky.social stares death in the face every day! Front page of Irish Independent magazine Saturday 2 August 2025

Ah, but which description?

A mystery skull for your identification delectation. Any idea what it is?

Friday mystery object #517 answer Last week I gave you a close up of a specimen from the Dead Zoo to have a go at identifying: I don't think this proved too much of a challenge, since Chris Jarvis responded with a correct identification within the hour: This one’s sent me into a spiral, kudyu show a bit more,. bucky?chrisjarvise8da89e10d says: July 18, 2025 at 8:44 am…

The answer to last week's mystery object, and a teaser for an upcoming project that natural history enthusiasts might find interesting...

Neigh.

Friday mystery object #517 The last mystery object was a close-up detail of a specimen, and it proved tricky, but not impossible to identify. I thought I might try another close-up of a specimen, to see if it might yield a similarly balanced challenge for this week: I feel like this has enough information to make an identification, but hopefully it's not too easy. Let me know what you think it could be in the comments box below - I hope it proves a fun challenge!

It's all in the eyes. Any idea what this mystery critter could be from this close-up?