Young Dublin authors bring tales of new adventures to Trinity’s Old Library

Posted on: 25 March 2026

An exhibition of 55 handmade books written and illustrated by Dublin primary school students is now on display in the Long Room of Trinity’s Old Library.

The exhibition marks the culmination of the Trinity Access Programmes (TAP) Bookmarks initiative which saw children from two Dublin primary schools write and illustrate their own books over a three-month period with the help of a professional author and illustrator. 

Students from Assumption Senior National School, Walkinstown, Dublin 12

This year students from Assumption Senior National School, Walkinstown, Dublin 12 and Our Lady of Good Counsel Boys National School, Drimnagh, Dublin 12 participated in the initiative. 

The theme of ‘Journeys Ahead’ was chosen to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the publication of Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift.

Their books will be on display in the Long Room until the end of May and will then become part of Trinity Library's permanent collection of over seven million printed volumes. The exhibition forms part of the Book of Kells Experience. See here to book tickets.

Book titles on display include:

• Echoes of A Broken Summer by Georgia Stacey Masterson
• Historical Circus by Isabelle Dunne
• Riding into Havoc by Kaisan Rasool
• A Stranded Tale by Keith Callanta
• Eamon De Valera: Who is he behind it all? By Harrison Adderley  
• The Town That Never Ends by Ava Rose Baker

The initiative aims to inspire children to become the next generation of storytellers, artists, and creatives. Bookmarks is organised by TAP which supports students from under-represented backgrounds to progress to further and higher education. 

Millie Core one of the 6^th class authors from Assumption Senior Primary School said: “I really enjoyed the TAP Bookmarks programme; it was great fun. I especially enjoyed when writer Nicola Pierce told us stories from Irish history. My book is about the Titanic and what it was like for some of the passengers. Nicola gave me great inspiration from her own book Spirit of the Titanic. Illustrator Margaret Anne Suggs inspired my drawings and showed us so many creative ways to make our books more colourful. I am very proud of my book and am thankful to Trinity, Nicola, Mags and Warren for this opportunity.”

Students from Our Lady of Good Counsel Boys National School, Drimnagh, Dublin 12

Warren Farrell, author and TAP Primary and Junior Cycle Coordinator, said: “The stories of this group of primary school students are vital to the future of TAP. Our outreach programmes engage over 10,000 students annually and with continued involvement and support, these students and their peers can successfully make the transition to both second and third level.” 

The exhibition was launched by Helen Shenton Librarian and College Archivist and acclaimed children’s author Alan Nolan known for his series Molly Malone and Bram Stoker amongst many other titles. 

Helen Shenton, Librarian and College Archivist, commented: “We are honoured to celebrate the creativity of these young writers in the Old Library, especially in this anniversary year of Gulliver’s Travels. Their stories remind us that the spirit of exploration and imagination continues to thrive in new generations.”

This year, writing and illustration workshops were delivered by award winning author Nicola Pierce and one of Ireland’s best loved children’s books illustrators Margaret Anne Suggs. 

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