Tracing contemporary architecture in Ireland

Recently, I wondered, as an architectural historian contemplating popular contemporary design icons such as the Titanic Museum in Belfast, what would an interesting Irish itinerary for modern architecture lovers look like? 

The architecture of Ireland is usually appreciated as heritage. We look back at prehistoric monuments, medieval ruins, Georgian streets, and even the moss-covered stone walls in the countryside breathe history. The ancient architecture of Ireland tells us fascinating stories of the past. Castles, monasteries and cottages have aesthetically blended beautifully with their natural green settings.

First of all, contemporary architecture in Ireland is also sensitive to the natural and historical context of the island. Most modern buildings here tend not to shout progress and novelty, they work through restraint. Materials are chosen with an expectation of rain, time, and wear. Architecture is designed to be inhabited more than shown off. As a result, many of Ireland’s most significant recent buildings reveal themselves slowly.

In recent decades, many of the island's most ambitious architectural projects have been public: museums, universities, bridges and cultural centres. These buildings are generally accessible and integrated into daily life. Experiencing them offers insight into how Ireland invests in shared space today.

Internationally, Irish architecture has drawn attention not because it follows a recognisable style, but because it resists one. Irish design practices often prioritise spatial experience over image, weight over lightness, and durability over novelty. The result is architecture that ages well. 

Finally, a tour of contemporary architecture is not an alternative to Ireland’s history, but a companion to and continuation of it. Here is a proposed itinerary that starts in Belfast, then takes you counter-clockwise around the island, before finishing in Dublin. Are you ready? 

Belfast: Titanic Belfast
Architects: CivicArts & Todd Architects
The journey begins in Belfast, at Titanic Belfast, located directly on the Harland & Wolff slipways. Its angular aluminium-clad form rises to the height of the Titanic’s hull, anchoring the museum physically and symbolically to its site. Already a well-known cultural landmark, the building acts as a hinge between industrial memory and contemporary identity. 

Derry/Londonderry: Peace Bridge
Architects: WilkinsonEyre
Travelling west, the Peace Bridge in Derry~Londonderry offers a different architectural register. Light, curved, and made for pedestrian traffic, it connects the historically divided sides of the city. The bridge an example of how contemporary architecture in Ireland often operates through infrastructure for daily use rather than monumentality.

Galway: Galway City Museum
Architects: WilkinsonEyre
In Galway, the Galway City Museum sits at the edge of the historic city beside the River Corrib. Designed by WilkinsonEyre, the building mediates between medieval urban fabric, river landscape, and public promenade through a composed use of concrete, stone, and glass. It demonstrates how contemporary architecture can act as an interface between city, history, and environment.

Limerick: University of Limerick Medical School
Architects: Grafton Architects
A pivotal stop on the itinerary, the University of Limerick Medical School exemplifies the architectural culture that has brought Ireland international recognition. Designed by Grafton Architects, the building unfolds through heavy masonry volumes, deep recesses, and carefully modulated light. Its spatial sequence encourages pause and attentiveness, aligning architecture with learning and care rather than display.

Grafton Architects is led by Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, recipients of the Pritzker Architecture Prize (2020) and the Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). These awards recognise a body of work grounded in civic responsibility and human experience, and these qualities are felt immediately when moving through this building.

Cork: Nano Nagle Place
Architects: Heneghan Peng Architects
In Cork, Nano Nagle Place demonstrates how contemporary architecture in Ireland often advances through adaptation rather than replacement. The project connects a group of historic buildings with new architectural interventions to form a cohesive cultural complex. The result is neither old nor new, but continuous. An approach characteristic of much Irish contemporary practice.

Waterford: SETU (Former WIT) Campus Buildings
Architects: Grafton Architects
Continuing east to Waterford, buildings designed by Grafton Architects for the former Waterford Institute of Technology (now part of South East Technological University) reinforce the practice’s importance within Ireland. As in Limerick, the architecture is defined by gravity, clarity, and careful attention to how buildings are inhabited daily by students and staff.

Dublin: Temple Bar Urban Projects
Architects: Group91 Studio
In Dublin, contemporary architecture is encountered on foot. In Temple Bar, buildings by Group91 Studio are woven into the medieval street pattern through housing and mixed-use projects that prioritise public space and accessibility. These buildings resist iconic status. Instead, they reveal themselves gradually through courtyards, passages, and shifts in scale.

Also in Dublin:
The Central Bank of Ireland by Sam Stephenson, DKM Architects, is a key work of Irish modernism that provides context for later contemporary practice. The Samuel Beckett Bridge by Santiago Calatrava marks the River Liffey as a corridor of modern civic infrastructure.

Optional Extension
Castlebar, County Mayo
National Museum of Ireland – Country Life
Architect: Office of Public Works (OPW)
An optional western extension leads to the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life near Castlebar, a contemporary museum embedded in a rural setting. It offers a counterpoint to the urban and institutional focus of the itinerary, showing how public architecture operates when it’s away from the bustling cities.

More to discover
What are your favourite contemporary buildings on the island of Ireland? Please share your recommendations below!