The Long Room In Trinity College: The Harry Potter Connection, Tours + History

I first visited Trinity College’s Long Room on a school tour back in 1997. I was only eight at the time, but I still remember being impressed by the sheer size of the library and the thousands of books lining its shelves. Almost 30 years later, I still think it’s one of the most impressive places to visit in Dublin, but there’s something you need to know before booking.

The Long Room is undergoing a major conservation project, and its famous shelves have been largely emptied. You can still visit, but it looks very different from the photographs you’ll see online.

Below, I’ll explain what you can expect to see, how much tickets cost and why I still think a visit here is one of the best things to do in Dublin.

Visiting the Long Room in Trinity College

Although a visit to the Trinity College Library is fairly straightforward, there are a few need-to-knows that’ll make your visit that bit more enjoyable.

1. Location

The Long Room is found within The Old Library on the northside of Fellows Square at Trinity College. It’s a short walk from Grafton Street, St Stephen’s Green and Temple Bar.

2. Home to the Book of Kells

The Trinity Library is also where you’ll find the extraordinary Book of Kells. Dating back to the 9th century, the Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book written entirely in Latin and featuring some amazingly elaborate illustrations to go with the text. Made from high-quality calf vellum and extending to a total of 680 pages, it’s a must-see even if there are queues. 

3. Architectural brilliance

300 years old and 65 metres long, there’s a good reason why the Long Room in Trinity College is one of the most photographed rooms in Dublin. Carved with an elegant wooden barrel ceiling and lined with marble busts of prominent writers, philosophers and supporters of the college, it’s very difficult not to be wowed when you walk into the Long Room’s hushed chamber. 

4. The tour

Tickets start at €19 for the Book of Kells and Old Library, which takes around 45 minutes. The €25 Book of Kells Experience takes around 90 minutes and also includes the digital exhibitions in the Red Pavilion. You can also try this guided tour that’ll take you around Trinity and Dublin Castle.

5. Redevelopment, empty shelves and the moon

The Old Library is undergoing a major conservation project, with around 200,000 books removed from the Long Room. Most of its famous shelves are now empty, although visitors can see Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon, a six-metre-wide illuminated sculpture featuring detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. The installation will remain until the library closes for redevelopment at the end of 2027.

About The Long Room

Built between 1712 and 1732 and stretching to 65 metres in length, the Long Room in Trinity College is the longest single-chamber library in the world and houses some 200,000 books.

Originally the famous Trinity Library had a flat ceiling, but that changed when the beautiful barrel ceiling was added in 1860 to allow space for more works, as well as an upper gallery. 

The marble busts are another distinctive feature of the Long Room and they date back to 1743 when 14 busts were commissioned from Peter Scheemakers, a renowned Flemish sculptor.

The busts depict many of the great philosophers and writers of the Western world, along with a number of men that were connected with the college.

The most famous book here is the Book of Kells but perhaps of more recent importance is one of the last remaining copies of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic.

Some handy info on the tour of the Long Room in Trinity College

The tour of the Trinity College Library in Dublin is well worth doing but please note that it has changed dramatically in the last year.

Below, you’ll find info on the ins and outs of the tour. Later, you’ll find some need-to-knows about the unfounded Trinity College Harry Potter link.

1. It’s self-guided

The first thing to know here is the tour of the Long Room in Trinity College is self-guided so you can spend as long as you want exploring if you so wish. 

2. Takes around 30-40 minutes

As was mentioned earlier, it’s about a 30-40 minute tour, but I wouldn’t blame you for spending a bit longer marvelling at the Book of Kells or reading the interesting information boards on how it all came about.

3. The books are gone (but there’s plenty to see still)

The library’s 200,000 books have been removed for the conservation project. However, you can look forward to:

• Luke Jerram’s Gaia: An illuminated artwork showcasing detailed NASA imagery of Earth
• Book of Kells 360: An immersive light and sound journey through the history of the ancient manuscript
• Secret Life of the Collections: Where interactive sculptures of figures like Ada Lovelace and Jonathan Swift come to life

4. You can book online and avoid queues

There’s almost always a queue for the ticket booth at the Long Room. If you’re interested in a guided tour, this one (affiliate link) takes you around Trinity College, the Library, and Dublin Castle.

Alternatively, you can book this tour here if you only want to explore Trinity College.

Debunking some myths (yes, the Trinity College Harry Potter link isn’t a real one!)

So, there are several myths that surround the Long Room in Trinity College. The most recent myth is the one surrounding Star Wars (this was a fairly controversial one).

The second is the Harry Potter Trinity College link, which seems to have grown legs over the last few years. Here’s what you need to know.

The Harry Potter link

This was actually one of the first guides published on this website many years ago.

Since then (and thanks to the page ranking in Google for ‘Trinity College Library Harry Potter’), I’ve been getting email after email from people asking whether or not the movie was recorded here.

Although I wish there was a Trinity College Harry Potter link, there isn’t. The Long Room just resembles the library used in the filming of the Harry Potter movies.

There is a strong Harry Potter Ireland link, however, with several scenes from one of the movies shot off Ireland’s coast.

The Star Wars link

And the Hollywood myths don’t stop there. The Jedi archives of the Jedi Temple in the movie Star Wars: Episode II also bear a startling resemblance to the Long Room of the Trinity College Library.

Controversy arose as permission had not been sought to use the building’s likeness in the film.

However, Lucasfilm denied that the Long Room was the basis for the Jedi archives and as such, officials from Trinity College Library decided against taking any legal action.

Things to do when you leave the Long Room

When you leave the Trinity Library, you’re a short walk from some of many of the places shown on my 2 days in Dublin itinerary above.

Below, you’ll find a handful of things to see and do a stone’s throw from The Long Room:

1. The grounds of Trinity College: These are a joy to explore on food and you’ll find plenty of interesting sights dotted around (map here)
2. The National Gallery of Ireland: Located in Merrion Square, this is Ireland’s premier art gallery showcasing work by some of the all-time masters of their craft
3. Key attractions: The Guinness Storehouse, St Stephen’s Green and Kilmainham Gaol are all easily reached from Trinity

FAQs about the Trinity College Library

We’ve had a lot of questions over the years asking about everything from ‘What is the Trinity College Harry Potter link?’ to ‘Which tour is the best?’.

In the section below, we’ve popped in the most FAQs that we’ve received. For practical info on the capital, like where to stay in Dublin, visit my Dublin Travel Guide.