Dublin Writers Museum

Boasting its rich literary heritage, Dublin is the home of the renowned Writers Museum. The Dublin Writers Museum, located on Parnell Square North
Dublin, is based in a large and restored eighteenth Georgian mansion. The idea of having a dedicated museum for writers was to encourage attention to Irish literature and was originally suggested by Maurice Gorham, a journalist and broadcaster, who was working as the Director of Radio Eireann at the time.

Opened in 1992, the museums building contains four main rooms, a gallery and a library. There is also a book store and a nice coffee shop located in the attached building.

The first room, Room 1, describes the history of Irish literature up to the nineteenth century whereas the second building, Room 2 is dedicated to the more contemporary writers.

Among the writers presented in the museum we can name the famous Jonathan Swift whose Gulliver's Travels is read and loved by almost every child in the world. He was born in Dublin just a few months after his father died in 1667. Later at the age of 21 he left his home in Dublin to England but two years later due to his illness, he was recommended to go back to Ireland by the doctors although he didn't stay there long. Some the very interesting remains of Jonathan Swift is presented at the Room 1 of the Writers museum.

Born in 1882 in Dublin, James Augustine Aloysius Joyce is another renowned writer featured in the museum. Although he didn't manage to make a living from his short stories, he created masterpieces like Ulysses later on his life. Banned for many years in the United Kingdom and US until 1934, Ulysses is a story of one day in Dublin. Finnegans Wake, Dubliners and Stephen Hero are others books by the writer.

Perhaps one of the most famous writers presented in the museum is George Bernard Shaw who was born in 1856. Shaw as a socialist and a member of Fabian Society was strongly against exploitation of the working class. He showed his anger and conveyed his criticisms in the dramas he wrote. Dramas such as The Admirable Bashville, Man and Superman, How He Lied to Her Husband, John Bull's Other Island, Major Barbara and The Doctor's Dilemma are all his works. Shaw is also a great novelist with works like An Unsocial Socialist, The Irrational Knot and Love Among the Artists. He died in 1950 in a village in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.

One section of the museum is dedicated to William Butler Yeats who was born in 1865. A poet and dramatist, William won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1932 for his great effects on Irish literature. He was the founder of the famous Abbey Theatre, a theatre, which is so important to be called National Theatre of Ireland now.

During your visit to the museum remember to check its digital audio guide which give a very extensive and detailed information about all the pieces in the library. The use of DAG id free - or at least at the time of this article was - because of the extent of information provided it lasts for hours and hours as long as you wish to listen.