The new museum building was opened in August 1857. The first event was a "Conversazione" on 27 August attended by 1500 including Earl Carlisle. On 31 August David Livingstone delivered a lecture in the museum. The first exhibitions were mounted on the first floor and consisted of plants from the Botanic Gardens, Kiltorcan fossils, some birds donated by Carte, edible crustaceans and molluscs, Irish lepidoptera collected by Rev Greene, and fossils and birds collected by McClintock in the Arctic regions. There was also a selection of scientific instruments on display, along with some of the Society's library books. The ground floor hosted an area for refreshments for the attendees of the lectures.