Calling all bookworms! Are you also the type that drooled over the incredible library in the Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast? Then you have to go see Trinity College Library on your visit to Dublin! Here, you will see more books than you can read in your entire life. And on top of that, you can also see a very special and quite impressive one on display here…
Trinity College in Dublin
Trinity College is a university in Dublin. It is buzzing with life, but not just because of the many students. Also a lot of tourists find their way in here. Both because of the incredible architecture from the 18th and 19th century on campus. But also because this is where one of the greater tourist attractions in Dublin is hiding.
The Book of Kells – a national treasure
The Book of Kells is well on its years. The book actually dates back to the 9th century, which makes it more than 1000 years old. It is not just the age of the book that is impressive. The monks who wrote the four gospels in this book have done an incredible job! The calligraphy and decoration of the book looks like it is impossible to do in free hand.
Because of the age of the book, it is of course displayed behind glass. And it is naturally (but a shame though) not allowed to take photographs of it. I can only say: Go see this incredible book with your own eyes 🙂
An impressive workmanship
Besides the Book of Kells itself, there is a small but interesting exhibit about how books were made a thousand years ago. A book was not just a book, you see. They were small pieces of art – and worth a lot of money! It is incredible to see how colors were extracted so it was possible to spend hour after hour decorating the precious writings. A great learning experience if you have an interest in history or just books in general.
The old library – The Long Room
The last stop on the tour of Trinity College Library was the highlight for me. I am the type who have sighed for the amazing libraries you only see in movies (that looks nothing like the local library in the small town I grew up in). So when I entered The Long Room (a very accurate title by the way), I just stopped and stared.
This amazing library dates back to the 18th century. When you step in, it is not difficult to see why it’s called The Long Room. It is about 65 meters long! But that is not the most impressive feature. You will also find 5 kilometers of shelf space, which houses 200,000 of the oldest books in the library. Yes, you saw that right. Two hundred thousand books. Even though I am a bit of a bookworm, that was an overwhelming sight!
If you share just a little bit of my love for books, I will definitely recommend that you pop by Trinity College Library on your visit to Dublin. You can read more about opening hours and ticket prices on their website right here.
Looking for more fun things to do in Dublin? Check out all my posts about Dublin right here!
Find your way to Trinity College Library
Trinity College is very centrally located in Dublin, so it is easy to get to. Once you’re on the campus, just follow the signs that says “Book of Kells”.
Visited in July 2017
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