On Saturday, 7th March 2026, a small but important milestone was reached in the journey of Redmond’s Forge. After months of preparation, planning, collecting, building, and storytelling, the exhibition doors officially opened for the first time.
From 10am to 4pm, the first visitors stepped inside to explore what is now becoming a unique LEGO exhibition space in Tinahely, Co. Wicklow. Over those six hours, 27 visitors came through the door, a modest number perhaps, but a hugely meaningful one. Every single person who walked in was experiencing Redmond’s Forge at the very beginning.
A Six-Month Journey to Opening Day
The official opening marks roughly six months since the idea of Redmond’s Forge began to take shape. What started as a concept, a place to display, celebrate, and trade LEGO sets and collectibles, has slowly been turning into a physical space filled with shelves of models, rare sets, themed displays, and a small retail section. The exhibition in Tinahely is very much the first step of a larger vision. It serves as both a working museum and a market test for what could eventually become a much larger permanent exhibition space in Arklow (the electricians are currently onsite there installing all of the wiring and circuits).
In this sense, March 7th wasn’t the finish line. It was the first real starting point.
The Exhibition
Visitors on the opening day were able to explore several different LEGO themed areas.
The displays included (from left to right – IKEA style – follow the arrows):
- Classic LEGO sets
- The brand new LEGO Pokemon
- Castles, Vikings, Medieval, & Pirates
- Star Wars
- Harry Potter
- Minecraft
- Botanical
- Bionicle
- City
- Friends
- Super Heroes (Marvel & DC)
- Ninjago
- Speed Champions
- BrickHeadz
- Technic
- Modulars, Ideas, Icons
- Mini-figures
- Retired and collectible models
- Sealed Sets
- Star Wars Kenner & Paltoy
- Pokemon
Some sets were displayed purely as museum pieces, while others were part of the buy, sell, and trade hub aspect of Redmond’s Forge. There was also a small retail area, offering – duplicate & spare LEGO sets from the collection, mini-figures, puzzles, Hello Kitty & plush toys, and small collectibles.
This blend of museum exhibition and collector marketplace is part of what makes Redmond’s Forge slightly different from a traditional toy shop or museum. It is designed to be both a display space and a community hub for collectors.
The First Visitors
The most memorable part of the day wasn’t the displays themselves. It was the people. Across the six-hour opening window, 27 visitors came through the doors. Some were local families curious about the exhibition, some were LEGO fans who had heard about the project, and others were simply exploring what had opened in the business centre.
For a first day, with almost no advertising beyond social media and word of mouth, it was a positive and encouraging turnout. More importantly, the conversations with visitors were incredibly valuable. People were curious about:
- how large the collection is? (considering this is only 1/3rd of the collection – the rest being in Arklow, Sandyford, and at home in Stepaside)
- which sets are the rarest?
- how long it takes to build the models (particularly the amazing LEGO Titanic)? 20 hours is the most I’ve spent building a set
- whether the exhibition will expand (how long will it be in Tinahely)?
- what the long-term plans are? when will Arklow open?
Those conversations are exactly the kind of feedback that helps shape the next phase of the project.
A Living Exhibition
One of the ideas behind Redmond’s Forge is that it won’t stay static. Unlike many museums where displays remain unchanged for years, this exhibition is designed to evolve constantly. New sets will appear. It will be Harry Potter weekend this coming weekend and I’ll setup more Harry Potter exhibit. Lord of the Rings the following weekend. The full modulars the first week in April. Displays will rotate. Collections will grow. And visitors returning later in the month or year may see a completely different arrangement of models and themes.
This is one of the advantages of building the exhibition around a large personal LEGO collection (although one person did ask if I’d display there LEGO also – yes to that). It allows the displays to change frequently without needing external loans or travelling exhibits.
What Worked on Opening Day
Opening day is always a learning experience, and several things worked particularly well.
The themed sections helped visitors quickly understand the collection, although I need to make information plagues for each section giving the details – it worked well in the LEGO Friends section – now to roll it out to the rest.
The mix of museum display and retail sets created an interesting browsing experience, but will need clearer demarcation of For Sale signage
The LEGO books section – a few people picked them up and read through them.
The 1mm acrylic sheet in front of the displays, not from a security point of view, but from the “prevent a parent having heart attack and the don’t touch yells towards their kids, as their kids reached to pick up a speed champion or touched a Star Wars micro-fighter” point of view.
And perhaps most importantly, the exhibition sparked conversations, not just about LEGO, but about collecting (Power Rangers with one customer), nostalgia, and childhood memories.
Many visitors recognised sets they had owned years ago, while younger visitors were fascinated by some of the larger builds.
Lessons From the First Day
Like any opening day, it also highlighted areas that will improve over time.
Clearer signage, additional labels for sets, and more structured information about the displays are all things that can make the visitor experience even better.
The exhibition is still very much in its early stages, and part of the Tinahely experiment is understanding exactly how people interact with the space – walking around multiple times seeing different aspects of the displays, led one person to suggest an interesting elliptic curve exhibit numbering convention – first wide spiral loop 1, 2, 3, second loop 4 (below the 1), 5 (below the 2), and so one.
That feedback will directly shape how the future Redmond’s Forge exhibition and museum evolves.
Special Thanks to Local Support
Opening a new exhibition is never something that happens in isolation, and Redmond’s Forge was incredibly fortunate to receive support from neighbouring businesses in the Riverside Business Centre and around Tinahely.
A special thank you to Angela in D’lish and Siobhan’s Hair Salon for displaying our Redmond’s Forge poster and sending curious customers up the stairs or down the hall to see what was happening. Not only have they both come in, but Angela sent two of the lads who work in D’lish to visit – they are both from Aughrim.
Local support like that makes a real difference in the early days of a project like this. When people in the community help spread the word, it helps turn something small into something that can grow.
So thank you for helping those first visitors discover Redmond’s Forge.
The First Visitors
The very first group of visitors set the tone for the day. David (aka Davide, aka Frenchie, I worked with him in Information Mosaic) and his daughter, who had travelled from Ballinaclash, between Rathdrum and Aughrim, came in to explore the exhibition together. I haven’t seen David in over a decade, but it was great to catch up, and he called in to Arklow later in the day and helped me move some units from the wall so the electricians can complete the work there. He is a legend.
Not long after, a lady who works down the hall in the business centre arrived with her son, and this son adores LEGO and let out whoops and hollars at the different exhibits. Sometimes the best visitors are simply the curious neighbours wondering what is happening in the unit next door, and took some flyers and promised to spread the word.
Our Youngest LEGO Fan
Another memorable set of visitors of the day was Darren, who arrived with his four-month-old daughter, officially making her the youngest Redmond’s Forge visitor so far. Later they returned again with the new mother for a second visit, which was a lovely sign that the exhibition is the kind of place people might want to come back to.
The Collectors
Not every visitor was a first-time LEGO explorer. Some were clearly deep into the hobby. One lady, turned out to be a serious LEGO collector, and it’s always fascinating hearing from collectors who have been quietly building collections for decades. Another visitor mentioned she would be telling her brother about Redmond’s Forge. The brother is a teacher and avid LEGO enthusiast, so hopefully we’ll see him visiting soon.
The Curious Explorer
At one point during the day, a guy simply wandered in. No prior knowledge of the exhibition. No plan to visit. Just curiosity. These moments are important too, because they show that Redmond’s Forge can capture attention even from people who didn’t arrive specifically looking for LEGO.
Friends of the Forge
Later in the day, just as I was sitting down to lunch, Jack and Claire dropped by. Jack happens to be my mini-figure supplier, and Claire was clearly there to make sure he didn’t stay all day talking about LEGO. In fairness, that was probably a sensible precaution.
A Future AFOL in the Making
One of the most impressive stories of the day came from Dylan, who arrived with both sisters and their mother, travelling all the way from Blessington. Dylan had seen Redmond’s Forge online, which was the reason for the trip. And he is already well on his way to becoming a serious LEGO collector. He has already built the LEGO Titanic, and is currently working on the Eiffel Tower. When someone that young is already tackling some of the largest LEGO sets ever made, you know the hobby has properly taken hold. At some point, I may have to visit Dylan’s LEGO collection, because it sounds like it might rival parts of the museum already.
The Last Visitors of the Day
Lastly there was a family group of five visitors, living locally but originally from Coolboy, his wife, their two kids, and a friend of the kids. Family visits like that are exactly the kind of audience the exhibition is built for. The kids were delighted to receive their free LEGO technic polybag set.
The Bigger Vision
The Tinahely exhibition is only the first chapter. The longer-term goal for Redmond’s Forge is to build a much larger exhibition and collector hub centred around the warehouse space in Arklow.
The vision includes:
- larger themed LEGO worlds, mocs, and displays – Ninjago, Star Wars Hoth, Amusement Park, Modular City, and the Star Wars Exogorth escape are all in Arklow at the moment
- rare and retired set displays
- interactive build areas
- buy / sell / trade events
- community exhibitions
- collaborations with other collectors
- AI innovation hub
Opening the doors in Tinahely is essentially the prototype phase of that bigger idea.
The Beginning of a Community
When you list the visitors like this, something becomes clear. These weren’t just random people walking through a door.
They were:
- collectors
- families
- curious neighbours
- kids discovering LEGO in a new way
- and adults rediscovering it
That mix is exactly what Redmond’s Forge hopes to build over time, a community around LEGO collecting, building, and storytelling.
The First Page of the Story
Twenty-seven visitors may not sound like a huge number. But for Redmond’s Forge, those 27 people represent something much more important. It was 2.7 times more people than the previous week at the soft launch. They were the first advertised visitors ever. Every museum, exhibition, and collector space starts with a first day, a first conversation, and a first group of curious people walking through the door. March 7th, 2026 was that moment for Redmond’s Forge. And in many ways, it felt like the beginning of something that could grow into something very special.
Next Week: Harry Potter Week
The opening day was only the beginning. Next week, Redmond’s Forge will become Hogwarts. The plan is to set up a Harry Potter exhibit featuring the built sets from the collection. At the moment many of them are still sitting in storage boxes waiting to be unpacked, so this will be the first time they appear together as a display.
There will also be a few activities for younger visitors, including:
- a Find the LEGO Minifigures hunt
- a Harry Potter scavenger hunt
A few major sets will also be arriving at the Forge. It’s time to bring some of the heavy hitters from home:
- the 2008 UCS Death Star
- the UCS Super Star Destroyer
- the UCS Red Five X-Wing
Once those arrive, the exhibition will feel very different again. And of course I’ve to rebuild 5 sets that got damaged last week (no blame culture – but I knocked over 3 of them, and two didn’t like the car journey from Arklow to Tinahely) – the LEGO Icons Vespa 125cc Scooter, LEGO Star Wars UCS X-Wing Starfighter, LEGO Marvel Spiderman vs Doc Ock Subway Train Scene all succumbed to me knocking them over while moving items around, while the LEGO 7019 Viking Fortress vs the Fafnir Dragon and the LEGO 75313 Star Wars UCS AT-AT.
If you’d like to visit Redmond’s Forge, the exhibition is currently open on Saturdays from 10am to 4pm in:
Redmond’s Forge
Unit 12, Riverside Business Centre
Tinahely
Co. Wicklow
This is a fan-led exhibition celebrating LEGO and collectibles and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the LEGO Group.