A three-metre-tall dinosaur and shellfish fossils came out of storage to celebrate the beginning of Science Week Ireland at the National Museum's Earth Science Activity Day yesterday.
Children queued to tour a virtual dinosaur museum, create a volcanic explosion or wreak havoc with simulated earthquakes on computers. Others peered under a microscope at slices of stone from the museum's walls.
But Megalosaurus bucklandi, a carnivore similar to a small T Rex, was the clear favourite, providing a rare opportunity for the children to touch a dinosaur's skeleton.
"Actually, it's a fibreglass replica," confided exhibit guide and National Museum paleontologist Nigel Monaghan.
One real skeleton was that of an ammonite, an extinct shellfish similar to nautilus-type animals. The 200-million-year-old fossilised fish once swam with dinosaurs from the Jurassic period, Mr Monaghan explained.
Ten-year-old Cian O'Halloran wasn't bothered by the lack of dinosaur authenticity. "The dinosaur is very good," he said. "But I also liked the loads of different rocks you could look at under the microscope."
Chunks of the building removed during the ongoing renovation were on display in a setting that was as much environmental as geological. Two pieces of 145-million-year-old limestone from the building were a striking contrast: one nearly pure black and the other pristine white after a thorough cleaning.
"That wouldn't happen naturally," said geologist Ivor Harkin. "It's all due to pollution. This is to show the kids the effects of pollution and the continual need for clean air laws."
The earth sciences display showcased objects normally unavailable to the public. A mystery object - a relatively plain bit of grey rock - was also on display, with a contest encouraging people to guess its identity.
"We wanted to expose people to parts of the collection that are not on exhibit currently," Mr Monaghan said. The branch of the museum at Collins Barracks would have a gallery for earth sciences, but not for three or four years, he added.