There are capitals piled with ancient monuments and iconic architecture. But here in Dublin, our monumental works are far more intangible.
Dublin’s greatest treasures emanate from her books, literary tradition, and the ancient art of storytelling. Her love affair with words is woven into the living fabric of life here, from the mountains to the sea.
This city will greet you with lines of poetry at the airport. Where a simple plaque on a Georgian door will more than likely reveal a literary birthplace. A city where your very pub seat could easily have been shared with a famous writer in the last century. Where one could happily stumble into a storytelling space every evening.
Traverse This City of Storytellers
Did you know Dublin is one of the first cities in the world to be designated a UNESCO City of Literature?It has a global literary footprint for many reasons.
Four Nobel Prizes in Literature have called this city home: W.B. Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett, and Seamus Heaney. James Joyce mapped every street into a modernist masterwork. Oscar Wilde sharpened his wit in its drawing rooms.
Today, contemporary authors such as Sally Rooney evoke the city’s lived experiences, whilst household names such as Anne Enright, Paul Murray, and Colm Tóibín continue to appear on Booker Prize shortlists.
Many Dublin writers have even brought their stories to Hollywood’s silver screen.
Red Line Book Festival – Paul Lynch and Ben Ryan
Linger in These Literary Landmarks
If you are a booklover, Dublin is more than just a stopover. This literary capital must be truly inhabited from the coastline of Dún Laoghaire to the medieval streets of Swords.
Every respectable book-loving pilgrimage here should include Ireland’s oldest university, Trinity College. It occupies the spiritual heart of the city, with past students including Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, Samuel Beckett, and, more recently, Sally Rooney.
Trinity College Dublin
Trinity houses one of the world’s most breathtaking literary spaces, the Long Room of the Old Library, home of the Book of Kells. The fact that Trinity holds a copy of every book published in Ireland and the UK under legal deposit underlines the significance of this literary destination.
Or head to the sheltered Trinity College Rose Garden for a read. Enjoy it in summer, with the cricket playing nearby, or in autumn, when the campus trees put on a spectacle of colour.
Nearby, you will also find Marsh’s Library, one of the oldest public libraries on the island, physically unchanged since 1707. Where Bram Stoker and James Joyce worked amongst its oak-panelled alcoves, where you may even spot bullet holes from the Easter Rising.
For a more modern destination, travel along the coast to Dún Laoghaire to enjoy the architectural jewel that is dlr Lexicon. Light-filled reading rooms, minimalist precision joinery, and panoramic views of the pier and harbour make this landmark municipal library one of the most glamorous reading spots.
If you’re looking for a central community hub for learning, you will also feel at home at The County Library in Tallaght. It features a 10,000-item Local Studies repository, a specialised teen zone (“The Loft”), and a dedicated digital Tech Room with 3D printing.
Step Inside the Story of Irish Literature
We put literature on a pedestal here in Dublin.
Dublin is also home to the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI), housed within one of the city’s most beautiful Georgian buildings. Immerse yourself in groundbreaking, interactive multimedia exhibitions that range from ancient Irish storytelling to the voices of living Irish writers. Literary treasures include James Joyce’s handwritten notebooks for Ulysses and Finnegans Wake, as well as his “Copy No. 1” of Ulysses.
A few paces from MoLI’s delightful Commons Café and back garden, you will find a little gate in their back wall. Like a scene from The Secret Garden, it opens into the romantic landscaping of the Iveagh Gardens. Pause here, reflect and read in peace.
Across the river in the heart of Inner City Dublin, the James Joyce Centre is home to the original, iconic door of No. 7 Eccles Street (Bloom’s home in Ulysses), dramatic Ulysses courtyard murals, and interactive exhibitions.
Start here with walking tours that explore Joyce’s Dublin, or congregate outside with fellow fans on Bloomsday itself.
Bloomsday Festival
Discover Hidden Book-loving Spaces
Dublin gives the book lover beautiful, free, unhurried space.
Start with the iconic Hodges and Figgis. Walk past its vintage curved glass shopfront to four floors of retail dedicated to books and literature, famously mentioned in James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ and modern works like Sally Rooney’s ‘Conversations with Friends’. You will find one of the widest selections of book releases, evening gatherings, book launches and staff with considered, encyclopedic knowledge who happily converse.
Books Upstairs, Dublin’s oldest independent bookshop, is a much-loved shop on D’Olier Street, combining eclectic, well-curated stock with the kind of browsing culture that lets you linger.
For a true hideaway, dive into the bijou Stokes Books in George’s Street Arcade, known for its large, varied collection of used, rare, and new books.
Need a bookish lunch spot?
Head to The Winding Stair (named after a Yeats poem), a charming independent bookshop that resides on the ground floor facing the Ha’penny Bridge. Upstairs, there is a bistro and restaurant with views of the Liffey, surrounded by bookshelves from a past life.
Plan Your Literary Escape: See What’s On
Dublin’s literary calendar runs almost year-round, and there is always a reason to gather around books.
Each April, the ‘One Dublin One Book‘ Festival invites the whole city to share a single read, supported by Dublin City Council and the UNESCO City of Literature designation. This simple, generous idea works beautifully in practice.
One Dublin One Book
Explore the capital during the Dublin Book Festival in November, with events hosted across various venues. A must for anyone out to discover the best in Irish writing and publishing.
Join Literary Celebrations in the Heart of Dublin
Every spring, the International Literature Festival Dublin (ILFD) transforms Merrion Square Park into an outdoor literary stage over ten days, bringing together international writers and Irish voices before audiences of over 30,000.
International Literature Festival Dublin
Bloomsday Festival is the Jewel in the crown of the Joycean calendar, with the whole city of Dublin as the setting. Witness grassroots groups performing and celebrating Joyce’s “Ulysses” on June 16th. Produced by the James Joyce Centre, it boasts Edwardian cosplay, citywide events, and grassroots pop-up gatherings across Dublin.
Head South For More Storytelling
Enjoy intellectual conversations with international writers in the intimate, charming surroundings of a coastal village at The Dalkey Book Festival. It takes place every June in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.
Dalkey Book Festival Roddy Doyle. Image courtesy of Conor McCabe
The Red Line Book Festival takes place in South Dublin in October. Now in its fourteenth year, it boasts more than 40 events in distinctive South Dublin venues such as Rathfarnham Castle and the Pearse Museum, featuring local and international writers and diverse family programming.
Head North For More Festivities
Over on the opposite side of Dublin Bay, Swords Castle in Fingal also serves as a vibrant hub for literary programming, having hosted The Magic of Stories, the annual Fingal Festival of Children’s Literature.
The Fingal Write Time Literary Festival happens every September at libraries in the Fingal area. This month-long, craft-focused fest is filled with free workshops and author talks.
The Fingal Write Time
To plan your perfect day out at the next literary event taking place in Dublin, check out our What’s On Listings section.
