Dublin’s literary heritage is immensely rich, and is made illustrious by such distinguished writers as James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, Patrick Pearse, Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde, and William Butler Yeats.
Occupying an original 18th Century Georgian mansion at No 18 Parnell Square, the museum accommodates the museum rooms, a library, a gallery, and an administration area.
Among its memorabilia on display are a first edition of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, an early, signed copy of James Joyce’s Ulysses, Brendan Behan’s typewriter, and Samuel Beckett’s old, black, bakelite telephone – complete with its red button to switch off incoming calls.
The history of Irish literature from its beginnings right up until recent times is documented in the two museum rooms. The first room focuses on writers until the end of the 19th Century while the second room is entirely devoted to the great writers of the 20th Century. For a writer to be included in the display they would need to be Irish, famous for making an important contribution to Irish or international literary history and they would also need to be dead – as no living authors are featured in the Dublin Writers’ Museum.
For those who know their Irish literature pretty well, the museum will still provide some surprises. For example, many will not know that Oscar Wilde was also a promising boxer in his days at college and that had Samuel Beckett not become famous for his writing, he would have probably made a name for himself in the Trinity College cricket team as part of the first eleven.
The Dublin Writer’s Museum is open every day (including Sundays and public holidays), has an admission fee, and also contains a good café where you can take a quick break from your exploration of the city.
