National Library of Ireland
A domed Victorian reading room on Kildare Street, free to enter, with the Yeats archive and the country's genealogy service.
Updated 19 October 2026
The library opened in 1890 in a building by Thomas Newenham Deane, twinned with the National Museum across the forecourt of Leinster House. Its main reading room sits under a large domed ceiling with a gallery, curved desks and green lamps, and it appears in Ulysses - the Scylla and Charybdis episode is set in it. The collections run to millions of items including the largest holding of Irish newspapers, manuscripts, the Lawrence and Poole photographic collections, and the W B Yeats archive, which the library acquired in stages and which underpins a long-running free Yeats exhibition. The genealogy advisory service, also free, is the practical reason many visitors come: staff will help trace Irish ancestry using parish registers, land records and censuses. Entering the reading rooms requires a free reader's ticket, applied for with photo identification; the exhibition areas need nothing.
History
The library is housed in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. It is a reference library that does not lend, and its large holdings of Irish material, books, maps, manuscripts, music, newspapers, periodicals and photographs, can be consulted free of charge (Wikipedia, National Library of Ireland).
The main sights
- The domed reading room - the Victorian interior, and the Ulysses setting.
- The Yeats exhibition - drawn from the library's archive, free.
- The genealogy service - free advice on tracing Irish ancestry.
- The photographic collections - Lawrence and Poole among the holdings.
When to go
Any season; indoors and free. Reading rooms keep restricted hours and close at weekends in part. The genealogy service operates on set days - check before relying on it.
Practical notes
A reader's ticket with photo ID is required for the reading rooms; exhibitions are open to all. Opening hours are limited compared with a museum. The Yeats exhibition has been reworked over time - check what is currently showing.
Nearby
The National Museum is across the forecourt; Trinity College and Merrion Square are close.
Key facts
Source: Wikidata, item Q1672830, read on 18 October 2026.
What to pack for National Library of Ireland
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Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
