Fine print

What makes us happy? A museum where we can actually touch things, that’s what. Tucked away in Beggars Bush Barracks sits a magical place full of the kind of mechanical engineering we can get excited about – perforators (so satisfying!), printing presses and piles of tiny metal letters bring to life the blood, sweat and type of a beautiful craft.

And it doesn’t have to end there. The National Print Museum runs a variety of courses, including Conrad Devlin’s Sunday letterpress workshops.

Devlin has been in the business for half a century, and his classes fill up fast. Tomorrow’s is booked out, but there are still spaces on April 28th and June 23rd.

For a taster, this Thursday, February 28th, as part of the Aontas Adult Learners Festival 2013, trainees from Fás will deliver a free interactive tour (11.30am-1pm) of the museum's permanent collection, which includes one of the remaining original copies of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic. For more see nationalprintmuseum.ie.