The library where Bram Stoker researched Dracula has been allocated €400,000 to ensure the maintenance and protection of rare books from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
Marsh’s Library, which is adjacent to St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, is regarded as one of best-preserved libraries of the late Renaissance and early Enlightenment period.
Heather Humphreys, the arts and heritage minister, made the funding announcement yesterday, stating that the grant would go towards damp proofing and a fire prevention system.
“Marsh’s is a cultural gem and was visited by more than 24,000 people last year,” Ms Humphreys said. “The interior, with its beautiful, dark oak bookcases has remained largely unchanged since it was built 300 years ago.”
It was founded by Archbishop Marsh and designed by Sir William Robinson, who also designed the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham. The collection of books donated by the archbishop remain on the shelves allocated to them in 1707.
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Books from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries can be found alongside 300 manuscripts and 80 titles from before 1501 as well as a first edition of Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica.
The building’s location and collection of rare documents meant it was a favourite with many well-known literary figures. Stoker is believed to have written the first drafts of Dracula at Marsh’s and the table and chairs used by James Joyce in 1902 can still be seen.