A poor man's Book of Kells, this library can hold its own. Entry is under 10 euros and the…read moredisplays should keep you busy for about a half hour. I would not say it is a cannot miss in Dublin, but if you have extra time or are here for a return visit, I would certainly recommend working it in. So what will you find. Tons of old books. A bit of history on books, writing, and the printing press. A cool Instagram-able shot or two if you want a smart looking selfie. Enjoy!

We bought the combo ticket with St Patrick's Cathedral and really enjoyed our visit to the Library…read moresince it had an exhibit showcasing the oldest printed books in the world. Inside every shelf and bookcase were packed with so much history. More impressive than the setting for the Book of Kells since many of the books were under restoration. The oldest books for the exhibition were in display cases to highlight specific topics, authors, designs, printing methods and/or age. It was really quite impressive. I got a kick out of the Easter "egg" hunt they crafted for Easter weekend. The Lego minifigs were hidden throughout the library and we just checked off our handout as we went a long. We did find all the minifigs eventually so they did a good job of placing them in the library. Staff here were so outgoing and informative. Always ready to provide more details or answer questions. As we exited through the gift shop we walked through a quiet but pleasant garden. Must see in Dublin!

It is in the centre of Dublin located in the grounds of Dublin Castle and listed in the Lonely…read morePlanet as "not just the best museum in Ireland, but one of the best in Europe". Next to Dublin Castle, this library/museum houses an extraordinary, vast collection of ancient manuscripts and texts. and the best part- it's free !! Chester Beatty, the wealthy American mining magnate, who bequeathed his collection to Ireland when he died in 1968, left them treasures that you can see for free with no waiting in line. This is a lovely place to take a book and relax on a bench or have coffee on the grass with a friend. The museum is completely free and runs great events throughout the year. The museum houses the collections of mining magnate, Sir Alfred Chester Beatty with a strong focus on the Orient showing his interest in Islamic, East Asian and Western Collections. They are always showing interesting exhibitions. Their beautiful Silk Road café with its middle-eastern dishes is also worth checking out.

This is a low key museum with a collection of Asian manuscripts, prints and more. It also has…read morerotating traveling exhibitions. We were not smart enough to understand the theme of the current one. (Seriously) It was a pleasant visit, but whoever is claiming this is one of the best museums in Europe it has wrong. Best part was the Silk Road cafe in the museum. An unexpected lunch in a nice setting.

This is within Pearse library and it's the place to find copies of newspapers from a few weeks ago…read moreback to the 1800's. My Dad would always take me here each year to check the newspapers on the day I was born to see what was happening. Even though it was the same newspaper each year it never lost it's thrill on me. There is something exciting about the connection you feel with the events that were happening the day you got life. Well worth the visit especially if you can't think of anything to do to fill a few hours.

Love Pearse Library. Downstairs is a public library on the left hand side and an exhibition space…read moreon the right hand side and upstairs has the Dublin City Archives Reading Room. The reading room holds the Dublin and Irish Collections, the Dix Collection of mainly 17th and 18th century Dublin and Irish imprints, the Yeats Collection, the Children's Book Collection and imprints of publishers such as the Dun Emer and Cuala Press. A collection of Thom's Dublin street directories and other Dublin and Irish directories is also maintained. The librarians are extremely knowledgeable and helpful.

A free public exhibit! Very interesting learning about the history of Yeats! Just enter and let the…read morereceptionist know you're here for the exhibit! They're also taking donations if you have change to support them! Thank you National Library of Ireland!

Overall the library is not open for public access. But it's worth a quick visit to see the…read morebeautiful entry and the historical exhibit on "Yeats: The Life and Works of William Butler Yeats." Learned a bit about W.B. Yeates and the exhibit was open to the public without charge for admission. Overall cleanliness: excellent Time budget: unless you're a W.B. Yeates fan, budget 15 minutes.

Absolutely fabulous, other than I was not interested in registering to use the internet. Which is…read morefine as my 5G hotspot worked great as did the power outlets in the library. It was nice to get out of the rain, sit for an hour or so in a quiet and peaceful library. You don't need to be a local resident to read the books or the periodicals or the other media, just to borrow materials and to use the Internet. [Review 1834 of 2024 - 91 in Republic of Ireland - 22856 overall]

Tucked away in the Ilac Centre, the Central Library is a hidden treasure. This establishment offers…read moretons of services that enhance the community. Besides being able to borrow books for free, it has an extensive language centre. Many foreigners sign up for English courses here because it beats having to pay hefty language school fees. The library doesn't only teach English. Every night of the week, people are welcomed to participate in conversation exchanges. Depending of the day, you can practice your Italian, Spanish, French, German, Irish, Japanese or Russian.

Sad as it sounds i'm a big fan of the Libraries of Dublin City. Rathmines is probably one of the…read morebest too. Maybe its the building or the really helpful and slightly eccentric staff. The place is well stocked, books are usually in pretty good condition and you can usually order in either online or with one of the librarians. Its also an idea spot to work if you need a bit of peace or are studying. The upstairs study room is usually full. Theres wireless throughout the building, which is thankfully free. Which makes a change as a coffee places are starting to charge for it now. PC's available as well to go online. Another thing thats good to see is Libraries stocking more and more DVD's. They probably won't have the complete box set of the Soprano's anytime soon but its a start. Theres also a newspaper reading room and all the government forms and reports you'll ever need .

Not a very good library by any means. The study room has very few plugs, some of the ones they do…read morehave are broken, and only tables with plugs are "reading desks" that are at an angle.....ok for books, not really for laptops. The vast majority of tables have no plugs, and even bringing your own extension cord would be a tripping hazard. The only reason I go here is because they open late (by which I mean 8, even though the country is supposed to be rolling out revived library schedules open 365, until 10pm) Better off in Starbucks across the road. This is an another old fashioned library that is in danger of becoming redundant.

Came here to study for my exams and did last an hour. Went up to the computer room where it was…read morepoorly ventilated and right under the blazing sun, creating an oven effect. Additionally, the people who attend this library aren't the best...

This is a grand library with free wi-fi and a good book catalogue, plus it's very centrally…read morelocated. The one distinctive thing that sets it apart from all the other libraries is it's permanent exhibition of, 'The Liberties in photographs.' The Liberties is a part of Dublin that is integral to the make-up of this city. I really enjoyed the exhibition, there are some fantastic photos that really give you a sense of this famous area in Dublin.

This is a great little library, little being the operative word. That said, it's location is great,…read morenear coffee shops and a park so you can take a break from your reading or writing and not have to wander too far. The staff are really helpful. It has a decent catalogue. The building itself is quaint and best of all it has free wife! (That last word is supposed to be wi-fi but spell check just changed the whole agenda of this review).

Love this well stocked and very accessible small library. The staff are approachable and very…read morehelpful.

Loved Drumcondra Library growing up on Larkhill Road. Best place I could walk to, long walk, and…read moreget books to read. Remember the smell and tangible feel of that library. Best experience ever for getting books to read. Thanks for the memories. Keep up the good work for kids growing up in the area. Clare

I absolutely love books, reading and libraries. As I mentioned in other review before it is…read moredifficult to top Navan's area library so I decided to explore the Drumcondra one in my spare time. This library has pros and cons but overall can be considered solid. The building has been recently renovated and is located in a very residential area close to Griffith Park. Good quiet location, friendly staff and in general good selection of books/dvd's/magazines... The low points are the fact that is very small which means less space to browse and fewer chairs to sit on while you enjoy your book. Also this is not your "average quiet place to energize your brain cells" as it is usually full of kids. Maybe in the early morning is more quiet but in the time I went, at about 3pm the place was packed with children laying around, playing video games, talking to each other (all in uniforms clearly right out of school hanging out there). There is a public toilet that can be useful but because of the crowd, the whole roll of toilet paper was wet. Still cordial neighborhood people, the possibility of borrowing up to 12 items at a time (which is a lot) and a highlight is that as libraries tend to close down very early, this one opens after a mid-break going til 8pm twice a week, definitely a win! (and it might be very quiet at that time slot). Picture with opening hours has typo - closed on Sundays