Trinity College Library

Trinity College Library is the largest research library in Ireland and one of Dublin's most visited cultural landmarks. Founded in 1592 alongside the university itself, it has the legal right to claim a copy of every book published in Ireland and the United Kingdom, a privilege shared with only a handful of other libraries. The collection runs to several million volumes spread across multiple buildings on the historic campus just off College Green.

The library's most famous space is the Long Room, a vast barrel-vaulted chamber stretching nearly 65 metres and lined with marble busts of writers and philosophers. Its dark oak shelves hold around 200,000 of the library's oldest books, and the room is regularly cited as one of the most beautiful library interiors in the world. Visitors usually combine a walk through the Long Room with the adjoining exhibition that displays the Book of Kells, the illuminated 9th-century gospel manuscript that is the library's greatest treasure.

The wider visit takes in the cobbled squares of Trinity, the campanile and the Old Library building itself, designed by Thomas Burgh in the early 18th century. Timed tickets are usual in peak season, and the site is a short walk from Grafton Street, Dame Street and the main Dublin bus and Luas connections.