MoLI opening launch – Wednesday 18th September 2019.
by Emily Mazzara
Welcome to MoLI the newest addition to the long list of amazing museums of Dublin. The Museum of Literature opened its doors to a group of notables from the writing and publishing community on 18 September to celebrate the official opening on Friday 20 September for Culture Night.
There are a wide range of exhibits on display throughout the building. Hanging in the first room are pages of photos and quotes, each commemorating a different Irish author. Oscar Wilde’s face sits alongside a quote from Bram Stoker.
As you move into the next room, you’re greeted with a large portrait of Kate O’Brien, the first featured author of the museum. Across the walls are quotes from her famous novel Mary Lavelle. Scattered across the space are small displays of her writing spaces; a desk covered in papers, teacups, pens, and glasses of wine.
The next room focuses on writings in, around, and about Dublin. The exhibit itself is called “Dear Dirty Dublin” and features a map of writing and literature interest locations around the city. In such a natural progression, the museum flows into its display of James Joyce.
This display begins downstairs but continues on the upper floor where you can find the first copy of Ulysses and many other first additions of Joyce’s work. There are also draft pages for many of his most famous titles. In the center of the room filled with Joyce memorabilia is an interactive writing workshop that anyone can participate in.
Outside there is a beautiful garden space that attaches to the Iveagh Gardens. It is open to the public and will be available to rent for parties and events. There are benches and outdoor seating space for the café. The gardens themselves are also a form of exhibit. The foliage and fauna in the garden space will be rotated with the seasons to have different colours and scents.
There is so much more to explore and the exhibits will be rotating as the seasons and months go by. As a lover of all books and literature, I couldn’t be more excited to have this wonderful felicity at my fingertips.
Article by Emily Mazzara.
Planning a visit:
https://moli.ie/ Museum of Literature Ireland UCD Newman House
86 St Stephen’s Green
Dublin 2
Open 7 days, 10am–6pm. Last entry at 5pm.
- Member free no booking required
- Adult €8
- Child, student, over 65s €6
- Family €17 2 adults, up to 4 children
- Adult and child €10
- Children under 3 free no booking required
- Jobseekers, carers free no booking required
