The Old Library of Trinity College Dublin was designed by Thomas Burgh and built between 1712 and 1732. It is the main library of Trinity College, which founded its collection in 1592, and a legal deposit library for Ireland and the UK.
The lower story is Calp limestone from a quarry in Palmerstown, about 5 miles (8 km) west, and the upper stories are Ballyknockan granite. The Long Room is 213 feet (65 m) long and holds about 200,000 of the library's oldest books. Its roof was raised in 1860 to add an upper gallery.
It displays marble busts, including 14 by Peter Scheemakers and one of Jonathan Swift by Louis François Roubiliac, and the 15th-century Brian Boru harp. The library received the Book of Kells in 1661, and one of its four volumes is on show at any time. A €90 million restoration of the Long Room began in 2022.
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