Ireland’s much-anticipated new literary venue, Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI), opened to the public on Culture Night, 20 September 2019, with over 1,500 visitors queuing along St Stephen’s Green to be among the first to experience this new national cultural amenity.

A partnership between University College Dublin and the National Library of Ireland, MoLI is located within UCD Naughton Joyce Centre in historic Newman House, the original home of UCD and alma mater of James Joyce and many other writers, including Maeve Binchy and Kate O’Brien.

Named for the character Molly Bloom in Joyce’s Ulysses, MoLI will principally celebrate the work of James Joyce, arguably the University’s most famous alumnus. The Museum will also profile the Irish writers that were influenced by Joyce’s work. MoLI’s treasures include the first copy of the first edition of Ulysses, Joyce’s own copy, which was presented to the National Library of Ireland in 1952 by Harriet Weaver, Joyce’s friend and benefactor.

We are very grateful for the extraordinary philanthropy and leadership that helped bring to fruition the ambitious plans for this wonderful project. The idea for a landmark cultural institution and creative learning centre in the heart of the city had been in gestation for some time and was only made possible by a founding donation from Dr Martin and Mrs Carmel Naughton, together with a generous contribution from Fáilte Ireland and other crucial gifts from alumni and friends of the University from Ireland and overseas.