When we were planning our trip to Dublin, I knew so little about the city that I didn’t really have a bucket list of places to explore. One place, though, that immediately jumped out at me from my ever expanding travel bucket list was the Long Room in the Old Library at Trinity College. I had to go there.
(C) Christina Saull – All Rights Reserved
Yes, yes, of course we stopped by the Book of Kells (an illuminated manuscript from 800AD which contains the four gospels of the New Testament). But I really wanted to get to the main attraction: the Long Room & its fantastic ceiling & its magnificent 200,000 (!) books. The room is over 200′ long & since 1801, the library has been staking claim on every book published in the UK or Ireland (it’s Ireland’s equivalent of America’s Library of Congress). In 1860 the famous barrel-vaulted ceiling was added, along with a second level to hold all those fabulous books. Nearly 50 busts stand perched at the end of each of the stacks, a collection started in 1743 to the library’s allure.
While entrance to the Book of Kells is timed, you can spend as much time as you want in the library (oh, lucky me!). I probably took over a hundred pictures of the room, alone, while B wandered down to the gift shop. I was officially in book nerd heaven!
Know if you go…
– the line to get into the Book of Kells & Long Room can be rather epic in the summer, to the tune of several hours. You can buy tickets online, rather than waiting in line (we got extremely lucky & just strolled right in).
– if you’re a book lover, this is a must stop place on your Dublin itinerary. You may even tear up a bit (what? is it dusty in here from all these books?). If you’re not a book lover, this might be a little boring.
– I will admit that, unlike most people, I was way more excited to see the library than the Book of Kells. To keep the book in good condition, they have it opened under a glass case & they turn to a new page every single day. Truthfully, I thought the Book of Kells was a little disappointing when we were there (the page it was opened to was not particularly ornate & the room was very crowded). But if you’re interested in history or religion or really beautiful old manuscripts, this is the place to be. It is crazy that the book is in such good condition, considering it’s over 1200 years old.
– Trinity College is gorgeous. Campus tours are available for a nominal fee. The campus tour on its own costs €5; together with a visit to the Old Library you pay €10. Tours depart every 40 minutes between 10:15am and 3:40pm from mid-May to September.
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