Monday 11 December 2017

THROUGH MY LENS - Old Library Trinity College Dublin

Today I am showing you the main chamber of the Old Library in the Long Room at Trinity College Dublin; at nearly 65 metres in length, it is filled with 200,000 of the Library’s oldest books and is one of the most impressive libraries in the world and is. 
I am linking it to Through My Lens.


When built (between 1712 and 1732) it had a flat plaster ceiling and shelving for books was on the lower level only, with an open gallery. By the 1850s these shelves had become completely full; largely as since 1801 the Library had been given the right to claim a free copy of every book published in Britain and Ireland. In 1860 the roof was raised to allow construction of the present barrel-vaulted ceiling and upper gallery bookcases.



Marble busts line the Long Room, a collection that began in 1743 when 14 busts were commissioned from sculptor Peter Scheemakers. The busts are of the great philosophers and writers of the western world and also of men (and yes, they are all men) connected with Trinity College Dublin - famous and not so famous. The finest bust in the collection is of the writer Jonathan Swift by Louis Francois Roubiliac.





Other treasures in the Long Room include one of the few remaining copies of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic which was read outside the General Post Office on 24 April 1916 by Patrick Pearse at the start of the Easter Rising. The harp is the oldest of its kind in Ireland and probably dates from the 15th century. It is made of oak and willow with 29 brass strings. It is the model for the emblem of Ireland.


Many thanks for visiting and also leaving comments.

8 comments:

  1. Hello, it is a gorgeous library. Lovely series of photos. Happy Monday, enjoy your new week ahead.

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  2. This is a beautiful and historic library. I fondly remember our visit to Trinity and the Library. The harp is a great work of art.

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  3. WOW! That is a lot of books. The building is rather impressive.

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  4. Wonderful post - great photos - I'd love to visit here

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  5. Thank you. I don't know how I missed this. I adore libraries. Always have, always will - and this is spectacular.

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  6. An absolutely stunning and irreplaceable treasure!

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  7. Wow! What a wonderful place! Thanks so much for sharing it with us. I would probably spend all day there taking photos :)

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  8. Lovely photos! We are thinking about a trip here in 2019 (dreaming, at this point), and this would be top of my list to see. Thanks for your post!

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