Museum of Literature Ireland facts for kids
| Músaem Litríochta na hÉireann | |
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Newman House, home of the museum, and previously of UCD; attended by James Joyce
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| Established | September 2019 |
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| Location | 86 St Stephen's Green, Dublin, Ireland |
| Type | Literary |
| Visitors | nearly 40,000 (first six months) |
| Public transit access |  Dublin Pearse St Stephen's Green (Green Line) |
The Museum of Literature Ireland, often called MoLI (pronounced "Molly"), is a special museum in Dublin, Ireland. It celebrates famous Irish writers and their stories. The name MoLI is a nod to a character named Molly Bloom from a famous book by James Joyce.
MoLI opened its doors in September 2019. It is a team effort between the National Library of Ireland and University College Dublin (UCD). You can find it in UCD's historic Newman House, right by St Stephen's Green. The museum has a permanent collection of items linked to James Joyce. This includes his very own "Copy No. 1" of the famous book Ulysses. MoLI also features changing exhibitions about other important Irish writers. The museum uses cool audio and interactive displays. It has won several awards for its amazing design and architecture.
Contents
The Story of MoLI: How It Began
The idea for a literary center at Newman House started with a chat. Two people, one from University College Dublin and one from the National Library of Ireland, met at a café. At first, they thought about making a museum just for James Joyce.
A kind couple, Martin Naughton and his wife, helped fund the first study. After talking with Failte Ireland, who offered 2.5 million euro, the plan grew. They decided to include all Irish literature, not just Joyce. But they still wanted a link to Joyce. So, they chose the name MoLI, which sounds like Molly Bloom, a character from one of his books.
The museum's building project began in 2012. The design work started in 2014. They transformed Newman House, which used to be the first home of University College Dublin. The exhibition designs were created by Ralph Appelbaum Associates. The building's architecture was designed by Scott Tallon Walker. They made sure to include lots of sound and ways for visitors to interact.
The building project cost over 10 million euro. It covers a large area of 3,600 square meters. About 500 square meters of this was new construction. This included adding a new floor called a mezzanine. A big part of the work was building a special central stairway. They also added a lift and modern fire escapes for safety.
Simon O'Connor became MoLI's first director. He had helped start The Little Museum of Dublin before this. MoLI was supposed to open in spring 2019. But it officially launched on Culture Night, September 20, 2019. It opened to everyone the next day. There is a fee to enter the museum.
What You Can See and Do at MoLI
Newman House is made up of two beautiful Georgian houses. It also has the university's original Great Hall (called Aula Maxima). All these spaces, plus some new additions, are used for the museum. MoLI is spread across three floors, each with a different theme.
The ground floor is about place and has interactive displays. The first floor focuses on voice. The second floor is about inspiration. This floor even has a spot where visitors can create their own writing.
MoLI can use items from the collections of the National Library. It also uses special items from UCD Library. Two very important things you can see are Joyce's "Copy No. 1" of Ulysses. He wrote a special message in it for a supporter, Harriet Weaver. Another cool feature is the Riverrun of Language. This is named after the first word of Joyce's book Finnegans Wake. It plays "sound showers" of spoken literature and stories as visitors move around.
Special Exhibitions at MoLI
MoLI has changing exhibitions. The first one, when the museum opened, was about the writer Kate O'Brien. After that, there was an exhibition on Nuala O'Faolain. When MoLI first opened, it also had a section for Young Adult Fiction. This included general stories, science fiction, and fantasy books.
In March 2023, MoLI celebrated 100 years since Brendan Behan was born. They worked with novelist Patrick McCabe to create The Holy Hour. This is an audio and visual display that explores Behan's life and work.
Learning and Education at MoLI
Even before it opened, MoLI planned to have a special research library. It also planned programs for adults and school children. These programs help people learn more about Irish literature.
Gardens and Other Facilities
You can find other public areas on the lower ground floor. The museum offices are on a closed third floor.
MoLI has a lovely Readers Garden. You can also get to this garden from the Iveagh Gardens public park. The garden has a courtyard area for the café and quiet spots to read. The museum's café, The Commons, is on the lower ground floor. It was designed to have direct access from the street and Iveagh Gardens. The museum shop is also inside on the lower floor.
Awards and Recognition
The museum's design received an Honourable Mention from Creative Review magazine. It also won a MUSE Design Award for Interior Design in 2020. The European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies gave it a Good Design (Environments) Award. The work done to adapt the building was also nominated for a Public Choice Award in 2020. This award is given by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland.
MoLI in the Media
A documentary called Making a Museum: The Story of MoLI showed how the museum was designed, built, and launched. Luke McManus made the film, and it was shown on RTÉ Television on Bloomsday 2020.
MoLI has had a digital radio station, RadioMoLI, since before it opened. A special room for broadcasting was planned. When the museum reopened after closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it made a short film. This film mostly showed its garden. It featured a reading from a short piece by the Anglo-Irish writer Lord Dunsany.
See also
