Purpose-built and opened in 1890, this historic building welcomes bookworms with a floor mosaic featuing the emblem of the owl and the motto sapientia (wisdom). Every year thousands of visitors carry out genealogy research here. The magnificent Reading Room is a horseshoe-shaped cathedral of culture almost 50ft high in the centre, with light flooding in from the large central dome and side windows set high in the walls. As books are not lent out but available for on-site research only, take time to enjoy your scholarly surroundings as you pore over Irish classics, old newspapers or your family history. Then, when you have finished feading your mind, feed your belly  at the Joly Café and Library Shop, with their own coveted collections of snacks and souvenirs.