Marsh’s Library

Marsh’s Library is a beautifully preserved library of the early Enlightenment, located in St Patrick’s Close, beside St Patrick’s Cathedral and one of the few 18th century buildings in Dublin that is still being used for its original purpose. Although there are earlier examples of libraries in Ireland, Marsh’s library is unique in the fact that it was the first public library, intended to give anyone who was able to read a place to study. Visited by literary royalty such as Bram Stoker and James Joyce, Marsh’s library is steeped in history – to this day, bullet holes can still be found in numerous books and shelving, dating back to the 1916 Easter Rising, when the library was damaged by British machine gun fire.