National Library of Ireland

Exterior of National Library of Ireland in Dublin
  • Free to visit
  • Rainy days
The National Library of Ireland, situated in Dublin City, is home to more than 12 million items. It hosts an award winning exhibition about W.B. Yeats as well as children’s exhibitions. Free guided tours are offered. The Library hosts a wide variety of events including public lectures, poetry and music recitals, theatre, children's storytelling, creative workshops and much more.

The National Library of Ireland collects and preserves the documentary and intellectual record of the life of Ireland. It is open, free of charge, to all those who wish to consult the collections; receive assistance from the genealogy advisory service and visit the award winning exhibitions. Current exhibitions include Yeats: The Life and Works of William Butler Yeats and Seamus Heaney: Listen Now Again.

The National Library of Ireland continues to welcome the public to Yeats: The Life and Work of William Butler Yeats which is an award winning exhibition for people of all ages and nationalities, exploring the story and the many works of one of Ireland’s most famous poets. This exhibition is in the main National Library building, 7-8 Kildare Street. It is open Mondays to Saturdays. Check their website for the various opening times.

Seamus Heaney: Listen Now Again is an exhibition on one of Ireland’s most loved poets and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. The exhibition draws on the National Library’s extensive archive of Heaney documents and features original manuscripts as well as diary entries and to-do lists. This exhibition is at the Bank of Ireland Cultural and Heritage Centre, Westmoreland Street, D02 VR66. It is open Tuesday to Saturday. Check their website for the opening times.

The Reading Room, the Microfilm Reading Room and the Manuscripts Reading Room, located at 2-3 Kildare Street, D02 TR76, is open Mondays to Fridays and closed on public holidays. Check their website for the various opening times.

Upcoming events