Dublin Bookstore / Books Upstairs

April 15, 2015

books_upstairs_dublin_bookstore

I sat down this morning to write about our time in Croatia a few weeks ago and I just couldn’t do it. I’m ready to be back in Dublin for a minute and writing about Dublin feels much less stressful. So this is the perfect time to introduce you to one of the most beautiful restored Georgian buildings in the city. Books Upstairs relocated a few months ago from their longtime spot in College Green to D’Olier Street and you can’t miss it when you’re walking by.

D’Olier Street isn’t particularly beautiful or colorful, so the blue facade of Books Upstairs with its intricate gold detailing and stained glass windows practically jumps off the brick at you. There’s a space just across the road that’s getting a makeover, too, so I’m hoping D’Olier street is getting a bit of a facelift!

books_upstairs_exterior

Books Upstairs’ new space has a bookstore on the ground floor, focusing on the best of Irish literature as well as the best of international literature. I chatted with owner Maurice Earls, who told me the store is book oriented, rather than best-seller oriented, and it’s pretty hard to argue with that. They have the whole building, so there’s a cafe on the second floor, the Dublin Review of Books, and even an event space.  books_upstairs_cafe

The cafe is probably the most stunning – in the sunshine the light gleams through the original stained glass windows. I wish more than anything that they had ripped out that red carpet, but the wainscoting and funky artwork go a long way to make up for it.  books_upstairs_cafe_dublin

A lot of the posters are Maurice’s personal collection – his daughters have given him artwork over the years and it has made its way to these walls. He said some of the prints are from This Greedy Pig, a Dublin creative agency. When I tracked them down, it turns out their shop is closed because someone broke in and stole all of their inventory last week, which is horrible. I’ll be anxiously awaiting the reopening of their shop because that print in the top photo is a hoot – they illustrate passages from great literary works and each of them cracked me up.  detail_dublin_bookstore

Can you even get over the pattern and texture on the walls? I know you want to touch it right now.  books_upstairs_irish_books books_upstairs_dublin Books Upstairs has a wonderful collection of Irish literature, if you’re visiting and books are your fave souvenir, this would be a great stop for you! And obviously, locals can park it in the cafe with a great book from one of our favorite Irish authors and relax in that gorgeous sunlight.

Books Upstairs / 21 D’Olier Street / Dublin 2

p.s. Here’s another, more literary review of the bookshop and cafe!

 

3 Comments

  • Reply Maureen Ott April 15, 2015 at 12:03 pm

    Ooh, drooling. I’ve added it to my list for my next visit!
    Thanks for posting!

  • Reply Mary Clark April 15, 2015 at 3:36 pm

    Oh, thank you, Emily! We were in Dublin two weeks ago, and visited 10 bookshops. I didn’t get a photo from the outside of Books Upstairs, except a snippet of it from my hotel window. The cafe is a delightful spot. Just an FYI, Books Upstairs has retained their College Green space as an annex, and equally friendly and helpful people work there. (My suitcase was 15 pounds heavier flying home, thanks to all the books I purchased!)

  • Reply Kim B. April 22, 2015 at 6:18 pm

    ooh that looks heavenly, definitely on my list for next trip to Dublin.

    That is so crappy about people stealing all the stock of the creative agency! I was curious about that dinosaur poster – hopefully will be able to find out more about them and their work soon.

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