Visit The Secret Mummies of Dublin That Inspired Dracula

Ancient Irish mummies in Church Street!

Dublin has many fascinating attractions. We are the home of Guinness, The Book of Kells, and Dracula. But did you know that Dublin has its own 800-year-old mummies that you can get very up close and personal with?

Down a dimly lit set of narrow stairs, inside a vault, there is a stack of coffins with mummified bodies you can see up close.

St. Michan Church on Church Street, Dublin 7, has an interesting history even without the mummies. The foundation of the Church was built in 1095 to serve the ostracized Vikings, who were still in Ireland. After the rest had been killed or kicked out by Wolf the Quarrelsome and other Irish forces in 1014.

Even with the Church changing over the years, the vault has remained since it was first constructed. Its believed the bodies are so well maintained because the basement contains limestone that dries the air, which preserves the bodies.

The 800-year-old mummy nicknamed “The Crusader” is a six and a half foot tall man, which was extremely tall for a man of that time. His legs have been broken to allow him to fit into the coffin. His hand is extended, and until a few years ago, visitors were able to shake his hand gently.

The coffins of the Sheare brothers are also here, they were executed by the British for the Rising of 1798, and they were discovered recently to be drawn and quartered.