DUBLIN
WRITERS MUSEUM
Discover Famous Irish Writers in the Literary City
*The Writeres Museum closed in 2020.
Why does Ireland produce so many of the English language’s
literary lights, with curious views of the world and humanity - humorists
Oscar Wilde, Richard Sheridan, George Bernard Shaw, dark humanists
Brendan Behan, Samuel Beckatt, gothic vampire creators Bram Stoker
and Sheridan Le Fanu, and poets James Joyce, and William Butler Yeats.
Is it the libraries? A hard Irish life? Or just where you find pubs
you’ll find writers? If you want to explore Dublin's literary
legacy, sure you can take a Literary Pub Crawl from the steps of
Trinity College (see Trinity
Library Book of Kells), but any sober
visit to Dublin, famous as a city of literature and writers demands
a stop at the Dublin Writers Museum, a must to explore and examine
Dublin's literary heritage.
The Dublin Writers Museum, located in a restored Georgian era mansion
on Parnell Square was first conceived by the journalist and author
Maurice Gorham, who proposed the idea to the Dublin tourism authority,
opening in 1991. The museum brings the literary celebrities who have
inspired UNESCO to name Dublin as a City of Literature back to life
through collections of their books and personal letters, painted
portraits and personal memorabilia along with temporary exhibitions
and even a lunchtime theatre.
The
first floor is taken up by the two Museum Rooms which present the history
of Irish literature from
its earliest beginnings with panels illustrating the phases and
movements of three hundred years of literary development, showcasing
famous
names with pictures and personal artifacts to illustrate the lives
of some of the world’s best loved authors, playwrights and
poets. The first room takes the story up to the end of the nineteenth
century and the beginning of the Literary Revival while the second
room is devoted to the great writers of the twentieth century.
Writers still living aren’t included in the displays. You
have to be a dead famous writer to be in the Writers Museum. Living
ones hang
out next door at the not to be confused Irish Writers Centre with
its offices of the Irish Writers' Union, the Society of Irish Playwrights.
As
you might expect, you’ll find a number of early edition
books representing the advance of Irish literature from “Gulliver's
Travels” to “Dracula”, “The Importance
of Being Earnest”, “Waiting for Godot” and “Ulysses”.
Among the many letters, one example shows the distinctive character
of the Irish writer, the note from George Bernard Shaw refusing
to provide the recipient an autograph and the decidedly concise
postcard
from Brendan Behan to a friend, referring to Los Angeles as a ”Great
spot for a quiet piss-up”.
The
house itself is worth a visit for the architecture. Climb the
grand stairway to the second floor where you’ll
find the Gorham Library with its elegant Stapleton ceiling and the Museum's
reserve of books, including rare and first editions
and
critical
works. There are also displays of volumes from special collections
Through a door from the Library is the Gallery of Writers, a sumptuous
period room of elaborate plasterwork
where receptions and special exhibitions and lectures are held,
surrounded
by portraits and busts of the notable Irish authors. On the ground
floor in an annex building is the Book Shop and Café with
a small outdoor patio.
Visiting the Dublin Writers Museum
The
museum is open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sundays and
Holidays 11am to 5pm, but last admission is 4:15 pm, so be sure
to arrive 45 minutes before. Combined
tickets are available with either the James Joyce Museum and The
Shaw Birthplace, or Malahide Castle (see Malahide
Castle Trains and Dolls). © Bargain
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