This Culture Night, Dr Audrey Whitty, Director of the National Library of Ireland, leads a special guided tour of the Library’s historic Victorian building on Kildare Street.

Visitors will discover the history of this remarkable building, explore the iconic Reading Room, and learn about the Library’s connections with some of Ireland’s greatest writers and thinkers. The tour also includes visits to the Richard Hayes Room and the Art Room, offering a unique opportunity to experience spaces not usually explored in depth.

The tour will last from 6–7pm | Entry free but booking required. 

Meet in the Front Hall of National Library of Ireland, 7/8 Kildare Street, Dublin 2. For more information regarding accessibility in our buildings please see here.

This event is now fully booked - you can join the waitlist here.

The National Library of Ireland's Digital Studio plays a key role in the efforts to protect and make available our various different collections: visit us this Culture Night on a short 15 minute tour to explore what is involved in digitisation and see some of the end results.

This behind the scenes tour will start at the Main NLI building at No. 7-8 Kildare St.

Please be present at this start point ahead of your chosen slot's starting time.

Please be aware that to reach the digital studio there will be a short 5 minute walk outside.

The advanced course on genealogy/family history research will run from Wednesday 16th September to Wednesday 4th November. It will take place in the library's Joly theatre from 2pm to 4.15pm each Wednesday afternoon and will be delivered by professional genealogist, Seán Murphy. Over eight weeks, participants will be introduced to additional sources for genealogical research, their uses and how to access them including:

• Memorial Inscriptions
• Wills and Deeds
• Estate Papers
• Genealogical Office Manuscripts
• Occupational Service Records
• Prison records
• and more. 

The course fee is €100. To book your place, please contact us at genealogycourse@nli.ie. 

It is recommended to have completed the NLI Introduction to Genealogy Course or to have familiarity with genealogical research before registering for this course. Places are limited. 

 

The NLI is home to the largest collections of books, manuscripts and personal items relating to WB Yeats in the world. These form the basis of the award-winning exhibition Yeats: The Life and Works of WB Yeats. The travelling banner edition of this exhibition brings together some 30 images from the NLI’s collections of manuscripts, rare books, ephemera, prints and drawings donated to the NLI by the Yeats family. The banner exhibition invites visitors to explore Yeats’ engagement with Ireland, literature, folklore, theatre, politics, mysticism and the occult.

We are delighted to partner with Sligo Libraries in sharing this story with the people of Sligo. For the most up to date information, including opening hours, please visit www.sligolibrary.ie.

• County Hall, Riverside, Co Sligo | 1 –  12 July 
• Sligo Local Studies & Archive, Co Sligo | Tuesday, 14 July –  4 August 
• City Hall, Quay Street, Co Sligo | 6 August –  14 September 
• Ballymote Library, Co Sligo | 16 September –  24 November 
• Tubbercurry Community Library, Co Sligo | 26 November – 12 January 2027.

The National Library of Ireland acknowledges the support of the Culture Programme for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026 in helping to display these NLI exhibitions in various venues throughout the country during the EU Presidency, after which they will be available to borrow as part of the 'Borrow a Banner' initiative. 'Borrow a Banner' enables local venues around the country to borrow a banner exhibition featuring imagery of original NLI collection items. For further details and the range of exhibitions available see here.

Funded as part of the Culture Programme for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026. 

The NLI is delighted to announce Portraits of the Invisible, a new travelling banner exhibition created as part of the official Cultural Programme for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU 2026. We are delighted to partner with North Mayo Heritage Centre, Castletown House and Cavan Country Museum in sharing the story told in this banner exhibition.

This poignant exhibition explores the experiences of Irish servicemen, medics, nurses and non-combatants in the First World War (1914-1918) through a series of portrait photographs. The portraits are part of Europeana (www.europeana.eu), a Europe-wide digital archive created to mark the centenary of the conflict.

For the latest information, including opening hours, click on the links below for each location:

• North Mayo Heritage Centre, Co Mayo | 1 July – 13 August
• Castletown House, Celbridge, Co Kildare | 1 September  – 30 September
• Cavan County Museum, Cavan | 5 October – 30 November

The National Library of Ireland acknowledges the support of the Culture Programme for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026 in helping to display these NLI exhibitions in various venues throughout the country during the EU Presidency, after which they will be available to borrow as part of the 'Borrow a Banner' initiative. 'Borrow a Banner' enables local venues around the country to borrow a banner exhibition featuring imagery of original NLI collection items. For further details and the range of exhibitions available see here.

Funded as part of the Culture Programme for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026. 

The NLI is delighted to announce Strangers to Citizens, a new travelling banner exhibition created as part of the official Cultural Programme for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU 2026. We are delighted to partner with Clare Libraries, North Mayo Heritage Centre, and Claremorris Townhall Theatre in sharing the story told in Strangers to Citizens.

People, ideas and goods have always moved over and back between Ireland and Continental Europe. That exchange quickened after 1600 as profound social, religious and economic upheaval pushed successive waves of Irish migrants to the continent. This banner exhibition explores the story of the Irish in Continental Europe over centuries of migration.

For the latest information, including opening hours, click on the links below for each location:

• De Valera Public Library, Ennis, Co Clare | 1 – 22 July 
• Edna O’Brien Library, Scariff, Co Clare | 23 July – 5 August 
• Séan Lemass Public Library, Shannon, Co Clare | 6 – 26 August 
• North Mayo Heritage Centre, Co Mayo | 1 September  – 29 October
• Claremorris Town Hall Theatre, Co Mayo |  3 November  – 13 January 2027 
   

The National Library of Ireland acknowledges the support of the Culture Programme for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026 in helping to display these NLI exhibitions in various venues throughout the country during the EU Presidency, after which they will be available to borrow as part of the 'Borrow a Banner' initiative. 'Borrow a Banner' enables local venues around the country to borrow a banner exhibition featuring imagery of original NLI collection items. For further details and the range of exhibitions available see here.

Strangers to Citizens Online Lecture Series.

We are delighted to announce the Strangers to Citizens online lecture series, inspired by the new travelling banner exhibition of the same name. The series explores the story of Irish migration to Europe between 1600-1800, examining both the political and cultural context of this period, as well as the fascinating tales of individuals who made the journey from Stranger to Citizen. In keeping with the spirit of the official Cultural Programme for Ireland's Presidency of the European council, we look forward to welcoming attendees to this online talk series from across Ireland, the European Union and beyond. Free tickets can be booked for each lecture via the links below.

Tuesday 25 August at 3pm IST: Online Talk | Irish Migrants in Early Modern Europe | National Library of Ireland

Tuesday 8 September at 3pm IST: Online Talk | Sir Charles Wogan, knight-baronet of the Kingdom Ireland | National Library of Ireland

Tuesday 15 September at 3pm IST: Online Talk | The Irish Colleges in Early Modern Europe | National Library of Ireland

Tuesday 29 September at 3pm IST: Online Talk | The Irish and the European Empires | National Library of Ireland

Funded as part of the Culture Programme for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026. 

The NLI is delighted to announce Photo Detectives, a new travelling banner exhibition created as part of the official Cultural Programme for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU 2026. We are delighted to partner with Clare Libraries, North Mayo Heritage Centre, and Claremorris Townhall Theatre in sharing the story told in Photo Detectives.

The NLI’s online Flickr community has grown to over 35,000 followers worldwide and amassed over 125 million views. In that time, this online community of photo and history enthusiasts have helped the NLI to uncover some of the fascinating stories and details behind the photographs posted. This banner exhibition celebrates the ingenuity, generosity and humour of the NLI’s Flickr community, and the remarkable stories revealed by their research.

For the latest information, including opening hours, click on the links below for each location:

• Claremorris Town Hall Theatre, Co Mayo |  1 July – 27 August
• Séan Lemass Public Library, Shannon, Co Clare | 1 – 22 September
• Kilrush Public Library, O'Gorman Street, Kilrush, Co Clare | 23 September –13 October
• De Valera Public Library, Ennis, Co Clare | 14 –28 October
• North Mayo Heritage Centre, Co Mayo | 3 November –  16 December

The National Library of Ireland acknowledges the support of the Culture Programme for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026 in helping to display these NLI exhibitions in various venues throughout the country during the EU Presidency, after which they will be available to borrow as part of the 'Borrow a Banner' initiative. 'Borrow a Banner' enables local venues around the country to borrow a banner exhibition featuring imagery of original NLI collection items. For further details and the range of exhibitions available see here.

Funded as part of the Culture Programme for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026.