Opening Hours and Service Updates

Friday, 9 October 2026

National Library of Ireland main entrance gate with black railings and gold lettering

Due to ongoing industrial action across the public sector, the National Library of Ireland wishes to advise of the following changes to opening hours and services.

Wednesday 14 October 2026

The Kildare Street buildings will be closed to the public. This includes all reading rooms (Main, Microfilm, Manuscripts and Family History), the Reader Registration Office, the Front Hall, and the WB Yeats Exhibition.

Seamus Heaney: Listen Now Again will be closed. The exhibition is located at the Bank of Ireland Cultural and Heritage Centre on Westmoreland Street.

The Live Aid exhibition will remain open. The exhibition is in Meeting House Square, Temple Bar.

Saturday closures at Kildare Street

The Kildare Street buildings have been closed on Saturdays since 3 October 2026 and will remain closed on Saturdays until further notice. This includes the WB Yeats Exhibition, Reader Registration Office, Main Reading Room and Manuscripts Reading Room.

The WB Yeats Exhibition remains open on Sundays.

Access to collections and online services

While industrial action continues, only material held onsite can be consulted during reading room opening hours. You cannot order items stored offsite.

Online access to the NLI website, catalogue, Registers, Sources and web archive continues as normal.

Responses to email enquiries may take longer than usual during this period.

Before you visit

Further closures or service changes may occur at short notice. Please check our opening hours page and social media channels for the latest information before you travel.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.