Literary Landscapes: Dublin

Publishing to coincide with St Patrick’s Day, we arrive in Dublin with the next installment in the Literary Landscapes series. Take a photographic stroll around the bookshops, famous literary locations and authors’ watering holes of Dublin’s top tourist destinations.

“When I die, Dublin will be written in my heart”, James Joyce once said.

There are few cities in the world that care so deeply about the written word as this historic capital. Walk down canals, stroll through Georgian squares, and cross the river, and you’ll find heritage plaques dedicated to famous writers, bridges named after them, and literary place names aplenty.

Dubliners can spot statues of literary legends: like George Bernard Shaw at the National Gallery; Oscar Wilde reclined in Merrion Square; and Brendan Behan watching over the Royal Canal.

Dublin’s creative outpourings are well documented in excellent museums and galleries around the city. The Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) features exhibitions on Ireland’s most influential writers and poets alongside unique literary artefacts, including the first ever copy of James Joyce’s Ulysses. Picking out one theatre above all others in Dublin is tricky – the Gaiety, the Gate and the Olympia have hugely enriched the city.

No title in the Literary Landscapes series would be complete without notable pubs and bars – and this edition is no exception. James Joyce liked to hang out in Davy Byrne’s; Neary’s was a favourite of Brendan Behan and Flann O’Brien; and Toner’s was the only Dublin pub visited by poet WB Yeats.

Dublin’s libraries are heart-stoppingly beautiful – just look at Trinity College's Long Room, easily one of the most stunning libraries in Europe that was featured in Sally Rooney’s Normal People. Dublin holds its independent bookshops close to its heart, and there are some wonderful little literary spots dotted around the city. Stokes Books in the George’s Street Arcade is a treasure-trove of rare and second-hand books.

Literary Landscapes: Dublin is a true bibliophile’s journey through the rich heritage, storied lore, and lively craic of the city’s streets.