If you’re coming to Ireland to research your roots, one of your first stops should be this library, where thousands of volumes and records yield ancestral information. Open at this location since 1890, it's also the principal library of Irish studies, particularly noted for its collection of first editions and the papers of Irish writers and political figures, such as W. B. Yeats, Daniel O’Connell, and Patrick Pearse. Parts of the collection are always on display to the general public (the exhibition devoted to Yeats is particularly good). The library also has an unrivaled collection of maps of Ireland. A specialist Genealogy Advisory Service is open Monday to Friday 9:30am to 4:45pm and Saturdays in June to September from 9:30am to 12:45pm. It’s free of charge and you don’t have to make an appointment.