Now this may sound strange, but when in Dublin, instead of heading to the bar, consider heading to The Long Room at Trinity College Library instead.
For someone like Patrick, who is an avid reader and a love of printed books, the Trinity College Library built in the 18th century is a must-see attraction. Aside from being aesthetically a picture-postcard moment, it is also home to the famous Book of Kells written by monks in the 6th century. Today, it is one of the most famous and valuable manuscripts in existence. The Trinity Library begins with the history behind the Book of Kells and showing of some of it’s books and then transitions into The Long Room.
Luckily, for people who do not attend Trinity College in Dublin, Trinity College Library is open to the public 7 days a week. However, it is not free. You do need to purchase tickets online and you can’t borrow books if you’re not from the school.
As soon as we stepped in, The Long Room robbed us of our breath. The room is 65 meters (213 feet) long. It’s like stepping into a fairytale or into a Harry Potter book. Entranced, we stepped forward and proceeded towards the center, we were definitely under Trinity Library’s spell. The Long Room is bright and open. From the wooden floors, to the iron spiraling staircases, and floor to ceiling windows, everything about The Long Room begs a visitor to step in. Two floors of books, guarded by iron railings, rise to the height of the hall. The arched ceiling soaring overhead made us feel small.
The Long Room contains over 200,000 of the oldest and most valuable books. In 1801, the library was given permission to claim a free copy of every book published in Britain and Ireland, hence why the library has so many books. Busts of famous people who supported the building of the library line up on the side of each archway.
The library was just steps from our hotel, Trinity City Hotel. We had stopped by the newly opened Bread 41 beforehand to grab a coffee and some pastries before heading to the library. We purchased tickets at the door for both the Book of Kells and The Long Room at Trinity College Library. The line wasn’t long and the price was about €11 – €14 each.
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