The Museum of Literature Ireland ( ga, Músaem Litríochta na hÉireann), branded MoLI in an homage to

Molly Bloom Molly Bloom is a fictional character in the 1922 novel '' Ulysses'' by James Joyce. The wife of main character Leopold Bloom, she roughly corresponds to Penelope in the ''Odyssey''. The major difference between Molly and Penelope is that while P ...

, is a literary museum in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It opened in September 2019. The museum is a partnership between the

National Library of Ireland The National Library of Ireland (NLI; ga, Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann) is the Republic of Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The mission of the National Library of Ireland i ...

and

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 33,284 student ...

(UCD). It is located in UCD's Newman House in

St Stephen's Green St Stephen's Green () is a garden square and public park located in the city centre of Dublin, Ireland. The current landscape of the park was designed by William Sheppard. It was officially re-opened to the public on Tuesday, 27 July 1880 by ...

. It holds a permanent collection of

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

-related material, including his "Copy No. 1" of ''Ulysses'', and revolving exhibitions on other Irish literary figures. With a range of audio and immersive displays, it has been nominated for and won a number of awards for design and architecture.

History

The idea of a literary centre at Newman House began with a discussion between Eamonn Ceannt, Bursar / Vice-President for Finance and Regulation of

, and a representative of the

, at Bewley's Café. The library no longer had a major display of its

materials, and the museum was originally conceived as an exposition of the work of Joyce, to be called ''Ulysses House''. Joyce himself had studied at both Newman House and the National Library. The charitable foundation of Martin Naughton and his wife funded an initial study, and after discussion with Failte Ireland, which offered to join funding to the tune of 2.5 million euro, the concept was expanded to take in Irish literature in general. The Naughtons added further significant funding, amounting to nearly half the total, and UCD raised 2.5 million euro of additional funds. In formulating a name for the expanded project, a

Joycean A text is deemed Joycean when it is reminiscent of the writings of James Joyce, particularly '' Ulysses'' or ''Finnegans Wake''. Joycean fiction exhibits a high degree of verbal play, usually within the framework of stream of consciousness. Works ...

link was deemed important, so a name was devised, the acronym of which would relate to his work - hence MoLI (pronounced "Molly") in homage to

. The academic lead was UCD's Professor of Anglo-Irish Literature, Margaret Kelleher. The museum architectural project began in 2012, and design was worked on from 2014, based on a conversion of the Newman House complex, the original home of University College Dublin, on

. The design was developed by

Ralph Appelbaum Associates Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA) is one of the world's longest-established and largest museum exhibition design firms with offices in New York City, London, Beijing, Berlin, Moscow, and Dubai.Bradford A. McKee, What's a Museum: What he says it i ...

, and the architectural work is by

Scott Tallon Walker Scott Tallon Walker is an architecture practice with its head office in Dublin, Ireland and further offices in London, Galway and Cork. It is one of the largest architecture practices in Ireland. Established in 1931 as Scott and Good, becoming ...

. Emphasis was placed on auditory material and potential for visitor interaction. The construction project budget was just over 6 million euro, for a floor area of , of which about was new building, including a mezzanine addition. A major part of the work was the development of a museum-grade central stairway, a lift and modern fire escape provisions. The overall project cost over 11 million euro. The museum's first director is Simon O'Connor, who previously worked as part of the founding team of

The Little Museum of Dublin The Little Museum of Dublin is a local history museum situated at St Stephen's Green, Dublin, Ireland. The museum is located in an 18th-century Georgian townhouse owned by Dublin City Council. Collection As a local history museum for the city of ...

. Originally planned to open in the spring of 2019, MoLI was launched with an evening opening on Culture Night, 20 September 2019, attended by the Director of the National Library and the President of UCD, with general opening from the following day, 10:30 am to 6 pm daily, with late opening on Thursdays. Admission is paid.

Experience and holdings

Newman House is a complex of two

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

houses and the original university ''Aula Maxima'' (Great Hall), and all of this space, with some new "insertions", is used for the museum. MoLI is laid out over three floors, each with a theme. The ground floor is themed ''place'' and contains immersive displays, the first ''voice'' and the second ''inspiration'', which includes an area for visitors to produce their own work. MoLI is able to draw on the collections of the National Library, and the Special Collections of UCD Library. Two central elements of the exhibitions are Joyce's "Copy No. 1" of ''Ulysses'', which he inscribed to a patron, Harriet Weaver, and which she donated to the National Library of Ireland in 1952, and the ''Riverrun of Language'', named from the first word of Joyce's ''

Finnegans Wake ''Finnegans Wake'' is a novel by Irish writer James Joyce. It is well known for its experimental style and reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the Western canon. It has been called "a work of fiction which combines a bod ...

'', which responds to visitor movements with "showers of sound" from work in both English and Irish over more than a thousand years. The earliest piece is by a female author of around 900 A.D., the latest from the present day. Other work on display includes Joyce manuscript pages, some annotated, a letter from Joyce to

William Butler Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

and samples of Joyce's notebooks in a second-floor display aimed at inspiring visitors to create their own work.

Exhibitions

The first of MoLI's revolving exhibitions, in place for the opening, was on Kate O'Brien, and this was followed by one on

Nuala O'Faolain Nuala O'Faolain (; 1 March 19409 May 2008) was an Irish journalist, TV producer, book reviewer, teacher and writer. She became well known after the publication of her memoirs ''Are You Somebody?'' and ''Almost There''. She wrote a biography of I ...

. Also in place for the launch was a section on Young Adult Fiction, including general fiction, science fiction and fantasy.

Education

The museum planned from before opening for both a specialist research library and outreach programmes for adults and school children.

Garden and ancillary facilities

Ancillary public facilities are on the lower ground floor, while offices are on a closed third floor. The museum's ''Readers Garden'', which is also accessible from the

Iveagh Gardens The Iveagh Gardens (; ga, Gairdíní Uí Eachach) is a public park located between Clonmel Street and Upper Hatch Street, near the National Concert Hall in Dublin, Ireland. It is a national, as opposed to a municipal park, and designated as a ...

public park, contains a courtyard aspect of the café, places to read, and a sculpture of a reading Jesuit. Operation of the museum café, The Commons, on the lower ground floor, and planned to have direct access from the street and Iveagh Gardens, is contracted to Peaches and Domini Kemp. The museum shop is in the interior of the lower floor.

Governance and operations

The museum premises are owned by UCD, and it is a collaboration between the university and the

. It is operated by a UCD company, Newman House Literary Centre, CLG, which has a board of up to 7 members, all unpaid: up to 4 delegates of UCD, 2 of the National Library, and an independent chair (appointed by UCD). The museum is headed by a director, supported by a Head of Operations, a Head of Learning and Culture, and a Digital Curator. Other staff include leads for visitor experience, retail, events and facilities.

Recognition

The design received an Honourable Mention from ''

Creative Review ''Creative Review'' is a bimonthly print magazine and website. The magazine focuses on commercial creativity, covering design, advertising, photography, branding, digital products, film, and gaming. The magazine is published bimonthly in print and ...

'' magazine. The museum won an

Industrial Designers Society of America The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) is a membership-based not-for-profit organization that promotes the practice and education of industrial design. The organization was formally established in 1965 by the collaborative merger of ...

Gold Award in the ''Environments'' category in 2020. It also won a MUSE Design Award for Interior Design in 2020, and a Good Design (Environments) Award from The European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies. The adaptation work on the building was a shortlisted nominee for the Public Choice Award of the

Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland ( ga, Institiúid Ríoga Ailtirí na hÉireann) founded in 1839, is the "competent authority for architects and professional body for Architecture in the Republic of Ireland." The RIAI's purpose ...

2020.

Media

The design, building and launch of the museum were presented in a documentary, ''Making a Museum: The Story of MoLI'', by Luke McManus, broadcast on

RTÉ Television RTÉ Television is a department of Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), the Republic of Ireland's state controlled national broadcaster. Its first channel was Teilifís Éireann, which began broadcasting on 31 December 1961. Since the 1960s, RT ...

Bloomsday Bloomsday is a commemoration and celebration of the life of Irish writer James Joyce, observed annually in Dublin and elsewhere on 16 June, the day his 1922 novel '' Ulysses'' takes place in 1904, the date of his first sexual encounter with his ...

2020. The museum has had a digital radio station, RadioMoLI, from before its opening, and a dedicated broadcasting room was planned. For its reopening after COVID-19 pandemic closure, it produced a short film, primarily of its garden, based around a reading of a short piece from ''

Time and the Gods ''Time and the Gods'' is the second book by Irish fantasy writer Lord Dunsany, considered a major influence on the work of J. R. R. Tolkien, H. P. Lovecraft, Ursula K. Le Guin, and others. The book was first published in hardcover by Willi ...

'' by the Anglo-Irish writer Lord Dunsany.

References

External links

*
Time-lapse video of the construction of the museumThe museum's YouTube channel, with Videos about bursaries and awards
{{DEFAULTSORT:Museum of Literature Ireland Museums in Dublin (city) Literary museums in Ireland History museums in the Republic of Ireland 2019 establishments in Ireland Museums established in 2019 James Joyce Ulysses (novel)