The Geological Museum is situated on the top floor of the Museum Building but these display cases are installed in the main entrance of the museum. The Museum collections date from 1777, and comprise about 80,000 specimens. The main palaeontological holdings include Irish Silurian and Carboniferous invertebrates, Mesozoic ostracods, and Upper Palaeozoic miospores. The rock and mineral collections largely date from the 1820s and contains both Irish and foreign specimens. The exhibition The Story of the Earth contains displays covering the complete range of geological topics, and is suitable for school parties, university parties, and the general public. The Geological Museum is open from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm Monday to Friday.