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You can’t visit Dublin without walking over the cobbled stones of Trinity College, where Irish poet and writer Oscar Wilde was born and studied, among other literary greats. Founded in 1592, Trinity College Dublin was modelled after Oxford and Cambridge, though only one ‘college’ was established.
The university library – of which the famous Old Library is a part – is one of six legal deposit libraries in the British Isles and holds 4.5 million books (and counting).
The star of the show is the Old Library, home to the Book of Kells, an iconic 9th-century gospel manuscript. The Long Room houses 200,000 of Dublin’s oldest books.
After, and weather permitting, Trinity has an attractive green space where you can relax in the sun with a drink from the college bar, known locally as the ‘Pav’.
Also on campus grounds is the Douglas Hyde Gallery, worth stopping by to see works by up-and-coming contemporary Irish and international artists.
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Destination Guide >Downloadable maps are available on the university website – but an official student-guided walking tour will give you the best overview of the history of Trinity College, with admission to the Old Library and the Book of Kells Exhibition included.
There’s a selection of guided and 45-minute self-guided tours available – see the options and book one online before you go.
The Old Library and Book of Kells Exhibition is open all year round, seven days a week.
Tours run mid-May to late September, Monday to Saturday, every half hour.
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Dublin
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