The Trinity College Library, now known as the Old Library, was established alongside Trinity College in 1592. It has grown into the largest library in Ireland.
The library occupies several buildings, six of which are at the Trinity College campus itself, with another part of the Trinity Center at St. James’s Hospital, Dublin.
The Old Library Building
The Trinity College Library houses 350,000 early printed books, as well as 20,000 manuscript and archive collections, all of which have been gathered over 400 years.
It not only supports the academic endeavors of Trinity College students and faculty but also attracts scholars and visitors from around the world.
The Long Room In The Old Library
There is a prestigious library, the Old Library, with the Long Room (a very large room).
The Long Room is the main chamber of the Old Library at Trinity College, Dublin.
It’s a grand, 65-meter-long (213 feet) room that was built between 1712 and 1732.
This room houses 200,000 of the library’s oldest books.
Originally, the Long Room had a flat ceiling and only lower-level bookshelves with an open gallery above.
By the 1850s, the shelves were full because the library was allowed to receive a free copy of every book published in Ireland and Britain. To make room for more books, the roof was raised in 1860 to create an upper gallery.
The Long Room is famous for its collection of marble busts. These busts include great philosophers, writers, and supporters of the college. The collection began with 14 busts by sculptor Peter Scheemakers. One of the most notable busts is of the writer Jonathan Swift, made by Louis François Roubiliac.
Many of the busts are of great philosophers, writers, and men who supported the college.
The most outstanding bust in the collection is the writer Jonathan Swift, created by Louis Francois Roubiliac.
The Long Room also holds significant historical items. One is a rare copy of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic, read by Patrick Pearse during the Easter Rising.
Another is the Trinity College harp, also known as the Brian Boru harp. This harp, dating back to the 15th century, is made from oak and willow with 29 brass strings. It is the oldest of its kind in Ireland.
Book of Kells library
One of its most famous acquisitions is the Book of Kells, an intricately decorated manuscript of the Gospels dating back to the 9th century.
The book was written entirely in Latin and features some amazing elaborate illustrations to go with the text. It was made from high-quality calf vellum and extended to a total of 680 pages
This precious artifact was presented to the library by Henry Jones, Bishop of Meath, in the 1660s.
Did Harry Potter film at Trinity College?
Many people call the Long Room at Trinity College “Dublin’s Harry Potter library” and wonder about its connection to the Harry Potter movies. Did they film on campus or use the Book of Kells library in the films? Sadly for Potter fans, the answer is no.
Despite its magical look, Trinity College was not used for filming any Harry Potter movies. The actual library used for Hogwarts Library scenes was the Bodleian Library in Oxford.
However, if you’re looking for Harry Potter locations in Ireland, you can visit the Cliffs of Moher. This is where they filmed the Horcrux Cave scene in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” where Harry and Dumbledore search for one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes.
While you can’t enter the cave, you can see it from various viewpoints or take a boat trip to get closer. The interior shots were filmed on a set.
The connection between The Old Library and Star Wars
The Old Library at Trinity College has a curious connection to Hollywood, specifically the Star Wars movies. The library inspired the design of the Jedi Archives in “Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones.”
This resemblance caused some controversy at Trinity College, as no permission was sought for using the library’s likeness, and the two rooms look almost identical.
George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, denied using the library as inspiration, but the similarities are clear. Despite this, Trinity College did not pursue legal action.
Star Wars fans visiting the library can enjoy exploring the shelves, imagining themselves as Jedi like Obi-Wan Kenobi.