national gallery

I've some tips for those who are still in Dublin, or will be there soon.

National Gallery:
This place is worth visiting, since it's free. And free museums are what I love about Ireland.
The gallery is a weird one. It is place in the old barracks, a huge courtyard with an old nice building around it. In the courtyard was (and now is no more) the "Sea Stallion", a faithful reproduction of a Viking ship built in Glendalough. Which makes me quite suspicious, since Glendalough is not on the sea. But... the ship has been used! It sailed, with a crew of volounteers, from Denmark to Dublin. It's a small shell apparently, with no motor but sail and oars. It shows how tough were Vikings and theirs ships.
The museum itself closes way too early (at 5PM they kick you out) and it's a terrible, random placement of good material. I enjoyed the historical museum, in Kildare street, but the national gallery is just a mess. There are small, well constructed sections, like the one on war - excellent indeed - and on 1916 and civil war. Personally, I'm sick with 1916 Revolution. I mean, it's everywhere, even on Lisbon treaty posters. Ok, it was a good attempt, but could we pleeeeease, move on? 1916 is over! And it wasn't even really succesful!
Anyway, the section is very well constructed, since it's the kind of gallery which does not need any guide.
Then there are the "selected objects", a small room with almost 20 (i don't remember the exact number) of objects selected by the leaders of the museum. Nice. And then.... it comes the thing...
THE RANDOM GALLERY. All the stuff that they could fit is placed in a few rooms, on glass shelves or even drawers, without any explanation or date. Just completely random stuff.
Then a nice but quite meaningless section about furniture.
I would say it's a 7.5 out of ten, good but needs improvements.