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Ireland's First Public Library

© Ella Robinson

Marsh's Library
St. Patrick's Close
Dublin 8, Ireland

Telephone & Fax: (01) 454-3511 from Ireland;
or +353-1-454-3511 international

Hours: Weekdays: 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.;
Saturdays: 10:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Closed Tuesdays and Sundays

Admission: Visitors, one pound; Scholars and students, free

As Provost of Trinity College Dublin, Archbishop Narcissus Marsh watched as patrons filed into the college library. It was a difficult facility to use for students and college professors. However, it was virtually impossible for the public to access the library's information.

With a desire for the public to have free access to a variety of resources and reference materials, Marsh began a plan to establish a public library. In 1701, his vision became a reality. Sir William Robinson designed the two-story library. The bottom floor was built as a residence for the librarian and the upper story was dedicated to books.

Today the elaborate dark oak bookshelves and the three ornate caged reading rooms remain much as they were in the 1700s. The cages were said to have been used to protect rare books, and patrons wishing to read the books were locked into the cages while reading.

This beautiful working library has been used by researchers for nearly 300 years. It contains books relating to the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eightieth centuries. It also maintains a collection of some 80 books that were printed before 1501.

Marsh's Library has been called "a treasury of the European mind." The library regularly prepares exhibits related to various topics within the holdings. The entire collection of books and manuscripts can be accessed by Internet.

For further reading: Check out Muriel McCarthy's article about Marsh and the founding of Dublin's first public library.

Copyright 2000 by Ella Robinson