Overview
Almost everything published in Ireland ends up here. The National Library is a legal-deposit library, entitled to a copy of every book, newspaper and periodical produced in the country, and it has been collecting them since it was set up under the Dublin Science and Art Museum Act of 1877. Its holdings run to millions of items – books, manuscripts, maps, prints and photographs – though most visitors come for the free exhibitions rather than the archive.
If you have half an hour and no research to do, the standout is the Yeats exhibition, and it costs nothing. You don’t need a reader’s card for it, or for any of the exhibition spaces; that’s only required for the reading rooms.
The building on Kildare Street was designed by Thomas Newenham Deane and opened in 1890, its domed Main Reading Room one of the finest Victorian interiors in the city.
Exhibitions and collections
The permanent Yeats: The Life and Works of William Butler Yeats display is the reason most people visit: an award-winning, multimedia-rich show built around original manuscripts and correspondence, free and on the library’s standard hours.
Two related collections sit elsewhere. Seamus Heaney: Listen Now Again, run in partnership with the NLI, is at the Bank of Ireland Cultural & Heritage Centre on Westmoreland Street, not Kildare Street – worth knowing before you set out to find it. The National Photographic Archive at Meeting House Square in Temple Bar rotates themed displays of historic Irish photography. Temporary exhibitions at the main building change regularly, so check the events calendar before your trip.
Reading rooms and research
The Main Reading Room, with its high domed ceiling and long wooden tables, is still a working space for academics and independent researchers. Access needs a free reader’s ticket, which you apply for online or at the front desk with photo ID; it’s valid for a year and covers the reading rooms, family-history databases and microfilm.
The genealogy service is the library’s most useful resource for visitors tracing Irish roots. Staff can help you navigate Catholic parish registers, civil records and historic newspapers, and access to the primary sources is free – though the service points you to the records and shows you how to read them rather than producing a full family-history report. Free guided tours are also offered, and much of the catalogue and many digitised collections are available online for anyone who can’t visit in person.
Practical information
Opening hours and admission
Admission is free. The main building opens:
- Monday: 9.30am – 5pm
- Tuesday & Wednesday: 9.30am – 7pm
- Thursday & Friday: 9.30am – 5pm
- Saturday: 9.30am – 1pm
- Sunday: closed
- Public holiday Mondays: noon – 5pm
Exhibition spaces and the photographic archive can close a little earlier, so verify times on the website before heading out.
Getting there
The library is on Kildare Street, within a short walk of the main tourist corridor. Pearse Street DART station is about five minutes east, and the Luas Green Line stops on Dawson Street just to the west; several bus routes serve Kildare and Dawson Streets. If you drive, there’s a set-down lay-by in front of Leinster House about 45 metres from the gate, wheelchair parking bays on Molesworth Street, and commercial car parks at Schoolhouse Lane and Setanta Place within a short walk.
Accessibility
There’s step-free access via a ramp at the main entrance with push-button automated doors, and lifts serve the ground floor, the lower-ground exhibition spaces and the upper reading rooms. Universal-access toilets are on the ground floor, hearing loops are installed throughout, and guide and assistance dogs are welcome. For specific requirements, the Access Officer is on access@nli.ie or +353 1 603 0265.
Tips for visiting
- Apply for your reader’s ticket online in advance if you plan to use the archives; front-desk processing can take 15–20 minutes at busy times.
- Weekday mornings are the quietest in the Main Reading Room; afternoons draw more academic traffic.
- The ground-floor café keeps limited hours, so bring a snack if you’re settling in for a few hours.
- The reading rooms enforce silence and suit older teens and adults; the Yeats exhibition works better for younger children.
Nearby cultural stops
The library’s central spot makes it easy to combine with other landmarks. The Abbey Theatre is about ten minutes north, College Green and Christ Church Cathedral lie to the west, and the Chester Beatty Library at Dublin Castle is roughly fifteen minutes on foot.
The single best thing to do here, if you do only one, is walk into the free Yeats exhibition without a ticket and without a plan – then decide whether the reading room upstairs is worth coming back for.