Tour Literary Dublin
Many famous writers lived in Dublin. Visit their homes - and pubs!
Dublin's famous writers range from Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett and James Joyce through to Roddy Doyle today. The city is full of literary landmarks.
From Nobel Prizewinners like James Joyce and Samuel Beckett through to observers of modern Dublin life like Roddy Doyle, Ireland's capital is also a world capital when it comes to literary giants. Other famous Irish writers include George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Sean O'Casey, Brendan Behan, WB Yeats, JM Synge and Oliver Goldsmith. Even Bram Stoker (author of Dracula) and Orson Welles have Dublin connections.
DUBLIN WRITERS MUSEUM
Make the Dublin Writers Museum on Parnell Square your first port of call to get a good background in Dublin's literary heritage. Here are manuscripts and mementos, letters and diaries, and books of course, from writers including Samuel Beckett, James Joyce, WB Yeats, Oscar Wilde and all the other great Irish literary names.
DUBLIN'S THEATERS
Dublin has two famous theatres, the Gate and the Abbey, and as soon as you have the dates for your visit to Dublin, check their websites to see what's playing and book your tickets. Even if you don't go to see a play, you should at least visit the theatres on your Dublin literary tour.
The Gate Theatre on Cavendish Row was built in 1794 and apart from the many Irish plays and playwrights associated with it, such as Beckett, Shaw and Wilde, it's also where actors including James Mason and Orson Welles first made names for themselves.
The Abbey on Lower Abbey Street is home to Ireland's National Theatre Company. It dates back to 1904 when it was funded by WB Yeats and Lady Gregory, but sadly the original building burned down in 1951 and was replaced by an unappealing modern structure. It's where JM Synge's The Playboy of the Western World had its first performance, and equally controversial modern Irish dramas still premiere here.
OTHER DUBLIN LITERARY LANDMARKS
There are plenty of other Dublin literary landmarks to visit, depending on your interests. James Joyce's admirers should head for the James Joyce Centre at 35 North Great George's Street, which features in Joyce's novel Ulysses and contains a vast library of Joyce's work along with items like Joyce's guitar and his walking stick. You can also see a statue of Joyce on St Stephen's Green.
At the literary address of 33 Synge Street is the George Bernard Shaw Birthplace, where the rooms have been restored to what they would have been like in 1856 when Shaw was born here.
Oscar Wilde fans will want to see the wonderful statue of their literary hero in the park in Merrion Square, near the Wilde family home at No. 1. WB Yeats also lived in this lovely Georgian Dublin square.
DUBLIN'S LITERARY PUBS
A list of Dublin's pubs would fill a phone book, and every one of them seems to have a literary connection of some kind. So to read more about Dublin's literary pubs read my separate article by clicking here.
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To learn more about literary Ireland you might want to read R. Todd Felton's recent book A Journey Into Ireland's Literary Revival from Roaring Forties Press. Click here to learn more.
