The MoLI opens in Dublin, the first interactive museum entirely dedicated to the great Irish writers

A new museum celebrating Ireland's rich literary heritage has opened in the historic setting of UCD Newman House in central Dublin.

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

Opens the doors of the MoLI, the Museum of Literature Ireland dedicated to those who are passionate about the great literary culture of Ireland. In Dublin, at the Newman House, a marvelous eighteenth-century building that was the first seat of University College, James Joyce and Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett and George Bernard Shaw are finally celebrated, and then William Butler Yeats, Bram Stoker and Jonathan Swift. Modern spaces and interactive installations, all in Irish flavor.

Originally, the proposed name for the museum was The Ulysses Center, but it would not have given the importance it deserved. Then, working in collaboration with the museum director, Simon O'Connor, MoLI was born, a name freely inspired by Joyce's muse, Molly Bloom, the most famous female character of “Ulysses”, a parody of Penelope from the Odyssey.

After 2 years of work and an investment of 11 million euros, today Dublin, a UNESCO heritage city of literature, can worthily celebrate its first futuristic museum: the MoLI, the result of the collaboration between University College Dublin and the National Library of Ireland , with the support of the Naughton Foundation and Fáilte Ireland, the national tourism agency.

On display, therefore, a series of literary treasures from the rich tradition of Irish writing, starting with the first copy of the first edition of Ulysses, published in 1922, presented to the National Library of Ireland in 1952 by Harriet Weaver, a friend and benefactor of Joyce.

See now “A Riverrrun of Language”, an audiovisual installation that includes selections from UCD's National Folklore Collection and excerpts ranging from ancient Irish to contemporary English and Irish writing by Paula Meehan and Doireann Ní Ghríofa. And then the exhibition "The State and Irish Writing", which examines the role of literature and culture in the formation of the new state and includes loans from UCD special collections, including an early print of Yeats's "Easter, 1916" donated to UCD by Dr. Joseph Hassett.

And not only that: there is also the "Dear, dirty Dublin", which maps Joyce's city through sculptures and films, while other exhibitions focus on individual writers, starting with the literary pioneer Kate O'Brien, edited by her niece, actress Kathy Rose O'Brien.

MoLI also offers an ongoing program of literary-themed events, such as writing workshops, performances, and free educational programs for children.

MoLI is open from 10 to 18 7 days a week. Tickets can be purchased on moli.ie, at the price of € 7.

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