An entire museum dedicated to literature, of course I was going to go! This post will be the first of a two-parter detailing my escapades when I recently made a trip up to the capital. I was there to see a show but having arrived early I was also able to take in this museum I had been reading about for some time.
It seems fitting that my special interest and passion for the works of James Joyce should so frequently bring me to the city which serves as the focal point of his writings (Also I am Irish and going for a day trip to Dublin is fun) The Museum of Literature Ireland or MoLI as it is known (ha I get it) celebrates all aspects of the Irish literary tradition. I do not wish to give away too much in this short post because I feel this is something every bibliophile should experience for themselves (as you can tell I enjoyed myself). Visiting these cultural hotspots always serves to reinvigorate my love for the academic field I have dedicated my life to, particularly now when I am no longer at university and in between situations.
A particular draw as a Joycean was the opportunity to see the first ever copy of Ulysses and I was indeed left in awe. This was the book that has been so influential on my budding career as a literature scholar and I was standing inches away from the first copy printed and bound. Truly a humbling experience and a reminder of the power museums have. It is one thing to read the facts or attend classes, but to actually see a physical link to the past with your own eyes really makes it all feel more tangible. I even got to chat to one of the volunteers about my research and plans for the future (yes I do have those) which is another obvious reason to visit such places; the chance to meet and converse with like-minded people. Bibliophiles unite!
I didn’t want this to sound too much like a travel review but I would encourage students of Literature and book lovers alike (who I’m pretty sure make up the majority of my readership) to visit the Museum of Literature Ireland for themselves next time they are in Dublin. As I have said above, museums have that unique ability to bring everything that is great about their subjects together into one place and MoLI truly is an experience worth bookmarking.
Cover image: logo flags outside the front of the Museum of Literature Ireland.
The Scholar’s Notebook 
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