Alistair Hardaker
Image: An existing listed building which was previously a military hospital will be enhanced by new architectural additions. (Derry and Strabane District Council)
Six galleries and genealogy services feature in Spring 2027 opening, with Tower Museum collections including Armada shipwreck transferring to Ebrington site.
Construction work has officially commenced on the £15m DNA (Derry~Londonderry on the North Atlantic) Museum at Ebrington Square in Derry, Northern Ireland.
Construction began on site today (24 September 2025) following approval of the business case last month.
The project is supported by multiple funding partners including the NI Executive Inclusive Future Fund, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Executive Office, Derry City and Strabane District Council, Department for Communities, Garfield Weston & Galewest Investment and the Wolfson Foundation.
Completion of the project is currently expected by Spring 2027.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has committed nearly £3.5m to the project, having first supported early planning stages in 2013. The Department for Communities has invested £500,000.
Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Councillor Ruairí McHugh, called the DNA Museum “a significant cultural asset which will really enhance the visitor experience here, and help us celebrate and promote the history and heritage of the wider North West.”
The new facility will feature six galleries, an archive discovery zone, genealogy services, temporary exhibition space, and learning and events facilities. Collections transferring from the Tower Museum include the Armada Shipwreck – La Trinidad Valencera exhibition, on loan from the National Museums of Northern Ireland, which has been moved to Belfast for restoration work before installation at the new site.
Stella Byrne, Head of Investment for Northern Ireland at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said the museum will be a “dynamic new museum space that opens up the city’s heritage in fresh and inclusive ways. It will share a broad range of stories and present existing and new collections, allowing local people and visitors to explore the unique shared history of this place.””
The Story of Derry collection and various corporate and private archive collections documenting the civil, cultural and social evolution of Derry, Strabane and the wider North West region will also relocate to the new museum. Conservators have been appointed to carry out specialised restoration work on selected artefacts and archives in preparation for the transfer.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said: “I am proud to support the development of the North Atlantic Museum with a £500K investment. This will be a vibrant hub of community, a celebration of our culture and heritage and a space that fosters and encourages creativity and innovation.”
The Tower Museum in Derry will cease operating as a visitor attraction, though the building will remain available for future use consistent with the wider City Deal vision for the Walled City.
