DUBLIN.- Based in the heart of the city, the National Leprechaun Museum is a national cultural entertainment centre that takes visitors deeper into Irish and Celtic culture to discover what really lies behind the well-known tales of Irish cultural iconography - leprechauns, rainbows and pots of gold.

The National Leprechaun Museum is the first ever visitor attraction dedicated to Irish mythology and promises to open up a fun and magical world full of fascinating folklore and enchanting stories.

The one-storey, 16,000sqft museum is structured like a fairytale story, with 12 individual chapters each transporting visitors to the heart of Irish cultural identity and imagination. Each chapter represents either a part of Irish mythological history or recreates an experience typically associated with leprechauns. The result is a series of captivating, interactive experiences - from the first ever sighting back in the eighth century, through to modern day representations of the leprechaun in film and popular culture - with plenty of adventures in between.

Audiences are able to feel what it’s like to journey deep beneath the rocks of the Giant’s Causeway, open up their minds to the sights and stories of Ireland’s mythical otherworld on a trip to fairy hill, experience what it’s like to live in a leprechaun-sized world and journey to the end of the rainbow to see if the elusive crock of gold really exists.

The museum initially employs eight people. The museum’s director and creator, Tom O’Rahilly said: "The National Leprechaun Museum is a first; nothing like it exists anywhere else in the world. Irish culture is famous the world over - even Walt Disney came to Ireland to look for leprechauns. However, not many people know the real stories behind the country’s folklore. We want to give visitors an experience to remember, taking them to the heart of Irish identity and imagination, telling the amazing tales that make up Celtic culture and offering some surprises and new experiences along the way. We hope the National Leprechaun Museum will join The Guinness Storehouse, The Dublin Writers Museum and The Book of Kells as one of the main visitor attractions in the Irish capital.