How's this for a library? It's the magnificent Long Room at the Old Library of Trinity College, Dublin. It's one of Ireland's biggest tourist attractions and, being a tourist a few weeks back, I paid a visit. (And when I say paid, I mean paid: it cost a staggering €9 to take a peek. Mind you, this included a glimpse of the Book of Kells, encased in glass, which I'd long wanted to see, so it was worth it.)
Sadly, photography is banned in the Long Room, so I had to refrain from taking any snaps. Instead, I bought a postcard and scanned it in, which breaches copyright, but honestly, if you can't take a snap, how on earth can you share the love with fellow bibliophiles? Trying to describe the room is pointless. How can you convey the sense of wonder, the rich aroma of musty books, the golden light, awash with dust motes, filtering through the windows? How can you describe how very small you feel standing underneath that enormous vaulted ceiling?
According to the brochure I picked up, the room is 65 metres long and houses around 200,000 of the library's oldest books. I honestly have to say that seeing all those volumes lined up in such a precise order looked too beautiful to be true. I half-wondered, quite foolishly I might add, whether it was all just a set piece, designed to woo visitors, because surely you couldn't have this many books in the one place without hiring an interior designer to ensure they looked just so.
You'll also note the succession of marble busts lining both sides of the central aisle. The collection began in 1743 and comprises a very regal-looking one of the Dublin-born writer Jonathan Swift.
There's an old harp on display, too, believed to be the oldest in Ireland. It dates from the 15th century. Sadly, I failed to notice this when I visited, but turn over any Irish euro coin and you'll see it depicted, so I didn't miss out entirely -- hehehe.
You can find out more about the Old Library and Book of Kells via the official website.
