In the footsteps of writers: a literary walk through Dublin

A small city of big writers

For a city of its size, Dublin has produced a remarkable number of great writers, including several Nobel laureates. It is a UNESCO City of Literature, and you can feel that heritage in its bookshops, statues, plaques and pubs. A literary walk is one of the best ways to understand the city.

This route runs from Trinity College to the northside and can comfortably fill a morning or afternoon with stops along the way.

Trinity College

Start at Trinity College, Ireland's oldest university, where students have included Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker and Samuel Beckett. Its cobbled squares are free to wander, and the campus feels peaceful despite sitting right in the centre.

The college's most famous treasure is the Book of Kells, a lavishly illuminated medieval manuscript of the gospels. It is displayed in an exhibition alongside the Old Library's Long Room, a magnificent barrel-vaulted hall of ancient books. Timed tickets are typically required and are best booked ahead.

Merrion Square and the Georgian city

Walk south-east to Merrion Square, one of Dublin's grandest Georgian squares. Oscar Wilde grew up in a house on its corner, and in the park opposite, a colourful statue shows him lounging on a rock with a characteristically wry expression. Plaques on the square's elegant townhouses mark other famous residents, including the poet W. B. Yeats.

Nearby, the Museum of Literature Ireland, set in a historic building on St Stephen's Green, explores the country's writers through modern exhibits and has a lovely garden café.

North of the river

Cross the Liffey and head up to Parnell Square, a Georgian square on the northside that is home to the Hugh Lane Gallery. A short walk away, the James Joyce Centre, in a restored Georgian townhouse, celebrates the author of Ulysses, a novel set over a single day in Dublin in 1904.

Every year on 16 June, Bloomsday, Joyce fans dress in Edwardian costume, read from the book and retrace the steps of its characters. Even if you miss it, keep an eye out for bronze plaques set into the pavements that mark the route of the novel's hero through the city.

Bookshops and readings

Dublin's literary life is not only historical. Independent bookshops host regular readings and launches, and the city holds literary festivals during the year that attract writers from around the world. Ask in a bookshop about upcoming events; you may stumble upon an evening with a contemporary Irish novelist or poet.

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