The Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) is delighted to announce the reopening of the museum on Friday, 14 May 2021, at 10.30am.
MoLI reopens with a brand new exhibition of children’s picture-book illustrator and writer Chris Haughton, curated by the wonderful Sarah Webb. Haughton is one of our most successful authors, and often among the very first Irish writers encountered by young children. The exhibition is a lovely opportunity for children to ‘walk through’ Haughton’s classic story A Bit Lost, while collecting souvenir animals along the way. And don’t worry, there are lots of interesting moments for grown-ups too!
The museum’s hugely popular Nuala O’Faolain exhibition, ‘Somebody’, has been extended and has moved to MoLI’s third floor, so if you missed it the first time around this is your chance to catch it!
The museum will be open 6 days a week, Tuesday to Sunday from 10.30am to 6.00pm (last entry 5.00pm), with late opening on Thursdays until 7.30pm. MoLI will also be open for bank holiday Mondays. Entry is free for jobseekers, carers and frontline health and retail workers. Pre-booking is not essential but is strongly recommended to guarantee your timeslot.
A safe, inspiring space for families, MoLI includes a family-friendly exhibition, reading zones throughout the museum and a learning family room where visitors of all ages can relax and get creative. MoLI is sandwiched between two of Dublin’s favourite green spaces – St Stephen’s Green and the Iveagh Gardens, the perfect spot for a picnic and a stroll after a visit to the museum.
MoLI has a number of measures in place to ensure visitors’ safety, including social distancing, large, well-ventilated, open rooms, reduced visitor numbers and pre-booked, timed admission, hand-sanitation, hands-free interactive exhibits, protective screens on desks, mandatory face covering usage for staff and visitors, contact tracing, a one-way system and a thorough and regular deep clean routine. Staff will be on hand throughout the museum to assist with queries.
Speaking ahead of the museum’s reopening, Simon O’Connor, Director of MoLI, said: “We can’t wait to welcome visitors back to the museum. The gardens have been blooming, new exhibitions are installed, and a sigh of relief is exhaled as we greet what we hope is the end of a long, long lockdown.”
The Commons Café will also reopen on Friday, 14 May, serving takeaway coffees and teas. The MoLI shop will be open for click-and-collect from Monday, 10 May, and will fully reopen on Tuesday, 18 May.