Dublin Writers Museum 🇮🇪

You will discover the history of the Dublin Writers Museum, an iconic fixture of literary history in Dublin, Ireland. Located at 18 Parnell Square in two eighteenth-century buildings—including a main red-brick Georgian-style house once used by George Jameson—the museum opened in November 1991 under Dublin Tourism to promote interest in Irish literature as a whole alongside the lives and works of individual Irish authors. Inside, you would have found an expansive collection of manuscripts, first editions, portraits, and personal mementos from titans of Irish literature such as Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, and W.B.

Yeats. Highlights of what it exhibited included Jonathan Swift's coffee pot, a first edition of Dracula, Samuel Beckett's telephone, James Joyce's typewriter, Brendan Behan's union cards, and a replica of the Book of Kells. You could also explore the Gorham Library on the upper floor or visit the annexed building's coffee shop, bookshop, and lecture room.

Please note that after closing during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Fáilte Ireland permanently ended its operations in 2022, though a proposal exists to use the 18 Parnell Square building for stained glass artist Harry Clarke.

What to see at Dublin Writers Museum

• Jonathan Swift's coffee pot and a first edition of Bram Stoker's Dracula
• James Joyce's typewriter and Samuel Beckett's telephone
• Brendan Behan's union cards and personal letter
• A replica of the Book of Kells and the upper-floor Gorham Library
• Decorated red-brick Georgian building interior by stuccodore Michael Stapleton

Visiting tips

Keep in mind that this site is permanently closed, though the 18 Parnell Square location has been proposed to become a museum for stained glass artist Harry Clarke.

How long: Permanently closed · Best time: N/A (Permanently closed)

How to get there & what’s nearby

Dublin Writers Museum is easy to reach on Dublin’s public transport, and pairs naturally with Dublin Castle and Spire of Dublin. For where to stay, the weather and full itineraries, see our Dublin travel guide.