Trinity College Library Shop

Don’t buy the tourist crap. This mere curio vendor is the gateway for the sublime experiences of the Book of Kells and Long Room Library. It is a definite must visit when in Dublin to appreciate the culture and history of an august institution.

It’s hard to skip a stop at Trinity’s well stocked book store. Less a student resource and more a place for tourists to pick up just about every bit of TCD /​Irish kit outside of fuzzy foam hats and Guinness merch, the shop devotes just one corner to books… but that’s nothing new.
As an unofficial addendum to University’s Book of Kells tour, visitors taking the only exit staircase are led directly into the shop.
There’s silk scarves and local glasswork, videos, tin whistles and t-​shirts aplenty. It’s the only place on campus (except for the tatty but excellent Student Unions) to buy those thick and warm hoodies — priced rather competitvely with the shops outside the campus walls dealing in similar TCD goods.
They’ve recently overhauled the main entrance /​exit, making crowd management and ticket sales a little easier. All in all, not a terrible stop off while on a tour of town.

Even if you have no intention initially of buying any Trinity memorabilia you have to go through the college’s official gift shop to enter the Book of Kells. When you finish the tour and exit from The Long Room Library you come out into the gift shop once again — having experienced Trinity’s finest historical offerings by this point, even if you didn’t initially intend on buying anything upon entry it is more than likely you will now. The shop has on offer everything you would come to expect from the official gift shop of an internationally celebrated, scholarly institution with much of the souvenirs on sale laden, if not overloaded with Trinity’s crest proudly looking out on you. If you have a considerable interest in the college then this shop does more than enough to provide you with an adequate array of souvenirs to stock up on and take home with you. Here you can amass a considerable collection of Trinity memorabilia, whether you’re looking for something big or small, ranging from gift-​wrap featuring the library shelves (€ 1.99) to a Clonmacnoise Angel Ornament (€ 25.95) or even a pair of deluxe Trinity College Dublin 9ct Gold Cufflinks for a hefty € 360.00. The shop stores a sizable and versatile collection of college merchandise. The most generic items bought by visitors are the TCD Crest Hooded Sweatshirt for € 39.50 and Hogwarts-​esque pure woollen official undergraduate scarf at € 39.95. This scarf looks particularly pleasing to the eye and surprisingly graceful in the midst of the occasionally cliché items on sale that are predominantly laden with the Trinity imprint. An array of audio tapes usually consisting of the spoken word by illustrious Irish poets or writers such as Seamus Heaney and Patrick Kavanagh are available to buy alongside a medley of interesting books ranging from Irish Guides and Maps to books on Trinity’s history and The Life and Times of Rural Irish Cinema. Other clothing, jewellery unsurprisingly featuring Celtic designs, postcards, stationery and crafts are all on offer within this small shop located in the heart of one of the world’s most grandiose university campus’.