Several weeks before my trip, I was asked to name one of the things I was most looking to see while in Ireland. My answer: the libraries. Or at least, two of them.
Now, to be clear, I also had to add that I also looked forward to the landscapes, to the music, a tour of Waterford, a whiskey tasting. I was looking forward to all of it. But the libraries and the Book of Kells I expected to be magical.
And they were.
The Old Library
The first was the library at Trinity College to see the famed Book of Kells. I’d wanted to see this book for as long as I can remember, to see the beautifully crafted pages and to be in the presence of a book so old and so intricately decorated. And fortune smiled on me as I was told my visit was a lucky one. The pages on display were heavily illustrated.
But there’s more to see than the decorated book! The long room in the library itself is stunning. And while most of the books are currently removed for conservation work, I think one could still get a sense for how much knowledge is and can be held here. And while the full, floor to ceilign shelves may not be filled, there is the current Gaia installation, large enough on its own and then somehow seeming both massive and small in the cavernous space.
I included a walking tour of Trinity College with my ticket for the Book of Kells exhibit, and under a light drizzle I learned a little about the history of the grounds and the college itself. Another favorite from this trip was the Museum Building, which told a story of Ireland in its architecture (as well as other influences in the design). There were carvings of Irish flora and marble columns from Connemara and Cork inside. I imagined taking any class offered there if I was student, just to soak in the space.
Marsh’s Library
This is said to be the first public library in Ireland, from 1707(!) and is located next door to Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral (in fact you can even get a combined ticket to visit both from the cathedral). Marsh’s Library may besmall, but no less beautiful to visit and to think of the scholars and writers who have studied here over the centuries.
Here the books are closer to you than they felt at Trinity College, perhaps because the bays are smaller and the space is more compact. I liked looking over the volumes and had a small thrill when recognizing a writer or a book I’ve heard of. There was a fun little scavenger hunt with little lego figures hidden in some of the shelves.
Dublin also has many small, local bookstores. Which to me seems like a great activity after visiting these libraries. Story-telling is an art form in Ireland, so why not indulge in a little of it?
