Marsh's Library, Dublin

Marsh’s Library is a surviving historic library, beside St Patrick’s Cathedral, and its story begins with a remarkable public role: it opened in 1707 as Ireland’s first public library. The building was designed by William Robinson and commissioned by Archbishop Narcissus Marsh. Its shelves hold over 25,000 books and about 300 manuscripts, spanning theology, medicine, law, science, travel, music and mathematics.

The collection also reaches across languages, including Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish and Russian works. Look through the windows for the long wooden bookcases and the quiet reading spaces. Much of the original interior remains, including its seating and shelving.

The cases are made from quarter-sawn Baltic oak, with carved and lettered gables. Some still bear bullet marks associated with the Easter Rising, during the occupation of the nearby biscuit factory. You can also see the wire enclosures known as cages, introduced in the 1770s after books were stolen. This is not merely an old library preserved as a museum: it remains one of Ireland’s eighteenth-century buildings still serving its original purpose.