National Library of Ireland — Attraction in Dublin

This would be a great place if it were actually a public library. It is a library—but it’s not for the public.

When you enter the room, the librarian greets you with, “Excuse me, sorry, this is a research library. You’re going to have to leave.” He enunciates “research” as if you are not likely to know what this word means. You do not explain that your last position was “Research Director”.

Instead, you inform him that you’re looking for a quiet place to do some writing (and to prove it, you hold up your notebook and pen). He looks around the near empty room and says, “Well we’re not too busy today so I can let you stay, but that has got to go straight away,” gesturing to your pen. “There’s no ink allowed. No pens, no markers, no felts, no quills...” and he continues to rattle off a list of prohibited ink filled items as you sit there wondering if you have accidentally walked into an orphanage and you’re about to be struck by the constipated headmaster. You assume that rather than evaluating education and work experience in their candidates, the library’s Human Resources choose staff by finding cranky old men with failing marriages. The training, it appears, is solely the instruction, “We don’t actually want anyone to use this room, so just be as rude as you can.”

“Thank you, but actually I feel very unwelcome,” you’ll say, confused about why he is so aggressively unfriendly. “I think I’ll go somewhere else.” He’ll respond with, “I’m sorry about that,” in a voice that makes it clear he is not at all sorry about that.

As you descend the stairs, the pleasant security guard—obviously used to people returning to his desk with a “what just happened?” expression—will suggest you visit the Yeats exhibit. This prompts you to wonder where Yeats did his writing; it certainly couldn’t have been here. Also why is there a security guard at the entrance to a public library? To keep out the public, you realize.

You ask the guard whether there is a library you can actually use. “Ah, yes,” he smiles and nods knowingly. “You’ll want to go to Pearse Street library.” You thank him.

As you leave, you see the street lamp posters with the Library’s slogan: What will you find today? The answer is a publicly funded service seemingly dedicated to being inaccessible—with a beautiful marble staircase.

If what you’re looking for is the verbal equivalent of being pushed off a bicycle, this is the place for you. If you’re looking for a library, try...

The description of the National Library Of Ireland says "everyone is welcome to enjoy the library.....and it's beautiful buildings". THEY ARE NOT. On entering I asked if it was permitted to take photos in the reading room. I was politely but firmly told that if I did not have a ticket to study, I would not be allowed to enter, let alone take a simple photo. This is my first visit to Ireland and my experience at the library was the second time since arriving 3 hours earlier that I was either denied access to a public building or told that I was not allowed to take photos - the first was outdoors in the quadrangle at Trinity College where the user of a tripod is forbidden "because of Star Wars" (I kid you not). I am a respectful, quiet and polite traveller and have not experienced this kind of "welcome" anywhere else in Europe or the Americas. Come on Dublin, it seems like you are entirely happy for hen and stag parties to fall about in your streets all night, but when a traveller in his mid 50s wants to take a couple of photos, you get all uptight. Not the...

I was so excited to finally be able to visit the National Library of Ireland. The manuscript collection is full of unique documents related to family history that can be found no where else in the world. This is not a library you can come to without any preparation. Doing so will ensure hours of wasted time. I only had one morning to spend here during my trip to Dublin but I did many hours of research through their online catalog and had a list of the manuscripts I wanted to view in order. I went first thing in the morning to the desk for the reader's ticket and that process only took about 15 minutes. To enter the manuscript room you must put all of your belongings in a locker. You can use no-flash photography and paper and pencil to take notes. One of the manuscripts I had reserved was too heavy for the archivist to carry, but it had been microfilmed and was available in the main building. The National Library of Ireland is an invaluable source of information for any serious Irish family history researcher. I can't...