No doubt about it, Dublin is a bookish kind of town. From the nerds who, like us, follow in the footsteps of James Joyce characters every Bloomsday, to the constant exhibits about writers and revivals of Irish plays, to the great bookstores. We’re having the time of our lives! Here are three Dublin libraries we absolutely love, with a shout-out to the public library as well.
Chester Beatty Library
The Chester Beatty Library is a dream – American collector Chester Beatty started off with stamps and snuffboxes, but quickly graduated to illustrated manuscripts. This gorgeous collection has an especially stunning set of religious texts, but the jade books, Ottoman and Mughal manuscripts, and Japanese illustrations are also impressive. As if that weren’t enough – but trust us, it is! – there’s a lovely café and a garden on the roof. And it’s free. All of which catapult it to number one on our list.
Trinity College Library
Yes, the Book of Kells is at the Trinity College Old Library. And yes, it is worth the price of admission. (Only just.) There is a great exhibit about Celtic writing and manuscripts. The Book itself is dimly lit and surrounded by people, plus you only get to see one page. But the library itself is very nearly as impressive as its most famous item. Its Long Room, pictured above, was built in the 18th century, but the barrel ceiling was added in the 19th century to accommodate more bookcases (we’ve been there too…).
National Library of Ireland
We first had a peep at the National Library of Ireland when we were celebrating Bloomsday – its reading room is where the Scylla and Charybdis episode of Ulysses is set. And that room is gorgeous; we want to move in there and think smart thoughts all day long! And, obviously, look stuff up in books too. There is also an excellent Yeats exhibition in the basement which has lots of memorabilia and manuscripts of original poems. And – as if that weren’t enough – in the lobby there is a replica of the library building itself made of Legos (see above).
Public Libraries
After the central library in Oslo, our expectations of a public library are high. The Central Library in Dublin, located in a mall on Jervis street, did not meet them. But a local branch near us, on Kevin St., very much did. This is one of those old-school libraries, which has books and not coffee. So far as we can tell, it is just an ordinary library, filled with ordinary (heroic) librarians and patrons. But it’s beautiful and bright and we’ve already been there three times!
Pretty impressive finds for only three weeks here. And we’re certain a few more good Dublin libraries will pop up in the coming months.
