Marsh’s by Candlelight
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Friday 23 October 6:30pm & 7:30pm
Saturday 24 October 6:30pm & 7:30pm - Marsh's Library
- €20 + €1 Booking Fee
tours
As darkness falls, join an eerie after-hours tour through Ireland’s oldest public library. First opened to the public in 1707, Marsh’s Library has remained remarkably unchanged for more than three centuries, with its darkened galleries, ancient books and original oak bookcases steeped in centuries of history and scholarship.
Hear the strange stories that have become attached to Marsh’s over the centuries, including the ghost said to haunt the second gallery. You can also discover the library’s connections to some of Ireland’s best-known Gothic writers. The tour will also uncover the library’s links to Bram Stoker, who first visited as a young student in 1866. Visitors will see the books he consulted during his seven visits and the very page in the visitors’ book where Stoker left his signature.
| Duration | Each tour will last 45 minutes. |
|---|---|
| Doors | Please arrive 10 minutes before your allotted time. |
| Age Suitability | 12+. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. |
| Latecomers | Latecomers will only be permitted at a suitable break in the tour. |
| Accessibility | This event is not suitable for wheelchair users. More info |
Marsh's Library, St Patrick's Close, Dublin 8
The closest Luas stop is St. Stephen’s Green on the Green Line.
Closest Dublin Bus stops:
Stop 2383, Patrick Street, Northbound: 27, 151, 150, 27, 77a, 56a,74
Stop 2311, Patrick Street, Southbound: F1, F2, F3, 150, 151, 27, 77a
Nearest parking is at Q-Park Christchurch. On-street accessible parking bays are available on Golden Lane near the Radisson Blu hotel.
Pick-up and drop-off can take place on Bull Alley Street and Cathedral Lane.
Accessibility Information
Ticketing
This is a ticketed event. Tickets are €20 + €1 booking fee.
Arrival
Pathways immediately around Marsh’s Library are paved with flagstones and some surfaces may be uneven.
The closest step-free Luas stop is St. Stephen’s Green (800m walk) on the Green Line.
Closest Dublin Bus stops:
Stop 2383, Patrick Street, Northbound: 27, 151, 150, 27, 77a, 56a,74
Stop 2311, Patrick Street, Southbound: F1, F2, F3, 150, 151, 27, 77a
Nearest accessible parking is at Q-Park Christchurch. On-street accessible parking bays are available on Golden Lane near the Radisson Blu hotel.
Pick-up and drop-off can take place on Bull Alley Street and Cathedral Lane.
Entry
The Library is accessed by 17 steps from the front gate to the main entrance. A hand rail is located on the left hand side while ascending. Entrance is through an automatic sliding door. From there visitors climb 3 steps to the staircase (without a handrail) which consists of 22 stairs from the front door to the public galleries with a half landing after 11 steps, a bannister runs up the left hand side as the visitor ascends. Exit is via a spiral staircase of 17 stairs at the end of the library or via the staircase at the start.
As a protected 17th-century building, wheelchair access is not available to the upper libraries. Step-free entry to ground floor facilities (shop, garden) is available on request via the back entrance by emailing information@marshlibrary.ie in advance.
Space
Marsh’s Library spans two floors:
Ground floor: Accessible toilet, shop, garden (step-free via rear entrance).
First floor: First and Second library galleries, reading room, cages (accessed via stairs only).
Accessible Bathroom / WC
There is one accessible bathroom on the ground floor beside the giftshop. It has a fold down handrail on the left as you face the toilet and one on the wall to the right.
The room is 2.151m x 1.478
Bar
There will be no bar at this event.
Performance Space
The tour will take place between the three first floor rooms. The floors are relatively even. Guests will be standing throughout the gallery spaces.
Seating
There are no seats available during the tour.
Sound
No amplified sound system will be used.
Lighting
Soft candlelight/atmospheric lighting is used throughout the galleries; bright lighting is maintained on the ground floor and in bathrooms. No strobe lighting will be used.
Quieter Room
There is no designated quiet room, though quieter areas are available outside the primary exhibition rooms.