Drop-in & visit our iconic Reading Room as part of the Open House Dublin Festival! The National Library of Ireland, founded in 1877, is the library of record for Ireland. We collect, protect and provide access to over 12 million items and will continue to do so for decades to come. We provide access to the collections free of charge, at four sites and online to exhibitions and events and to our reference and research reading rooms. The Library was first opened in 1890, and is constructed in the Victorian Palladian style. It was designed by the architects Deane & Son who designed many other notable buildings in Dublin such as the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology and the Kildare Street Club. As part of Open House Dublin, the NLI welcomes visitors to our building on Kildare Street. The iconic main reading room will be open to the public from 1pm until 4:30pm. No booking is required. Wander in through the entrance hall across the mosaic tiled floor, while taking time to view the the stained glass windows which depict figures of world literature, and follow in the footsteps of some of Ireland’s greatest writers and thinkers. The exhibition Yeats: The Life and Works of WB Yeats will also be open for visitors to enjoy.

Description supplied by the event organiser.