The Museum of Literature

Dublin is a literary city, and before my visit, I knew that there were four things I wanted to do: visit The Writer's Museum, The Oscar Wild House, Marsh's Library, and the Museum of Literature (MoLi). Yeah, I know, this may be boring for others, but as a writer, I wanted to get lost in literary haven. Unfortunately, the Writer's Museum closed during COVID 19, and never reopened, but many of the works and sculptures were transferred to MoLi.

On a cool crisp day, I took an eight minute stroll from my hotel to MoLi, checked in my backpack, bought a ticket, and began my journey to the past among writers such as the Irish writer and poet, Susan Mitchell and Samuel Beckett, the American born Irish author, Mary Lavin, the satirist and essayist Johnathan Swift, the literary critic and poet, James Joyce, Dracula's Bram Stoker, and many other greats who have paved their way through the world of literature.

This place is several stories high, and do take the stairs instead of the elevator to get a feel for the space. Each floor offers something unique, and on the last floor, you can write a message on a notepad, and if they like what you write, the staff will post it on a cork board on a nearby wall.

I asked one of the employees if she would recommend a fiction by a local author. She told me to buy Normal People by Sally Rooney (no, not the TV series, but the actual book). So, I bought it at their bookshop, and after I got into it, I realized it was a story about love and class division. The tale reads fast, and I took it on the plane back to make time go by faster. I never got to finish it because I was too tired to keep my eyes open, and I have been really sick since I got back. My living space is a mess, and my book seems to have been lost among all the clutter. Today was the first day that I feel somewhat normal, and I'm hoping that once I put things away, I will be able to find it. That, or buy a new one, but I really liked the edition I had bought :/

Besides the book shop, the museum has a cafe on the bottom floor. I wanted to sit outside by the tree where James Joyce once stood. They told me that the outside was temporarily closed. Even so, I spent a quiet 45 minutes at the cafe, drinking an incredible cup of Earl Grey tea, gazing outside, and reading my book. Dublin knows how to do tea. It's not like in the U.S where you order tea at a cafe, and they give you lukewarm water which ruins the entire tea experience. The tea in Dublin is super hot and perfectly brewed, just the way I like it, even when I add milk to it.

Even if you're not a writer, this museum is a welcome relief from the crowds, the tourists, and cars. Across the street you will find one of the entrances to St. Stephen's Green, another favorite place of mine. But that experience will be shared in another post. Cheers for now...