Dublin 2020/21
8
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THE BOOK
OF KELLS
Trinity College Dublin
University of Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2
01 896 1000
The Book of Kells
No visit to Dublin is complete
without a trip to the historic Book
of Kells Exhibition. Ireland’s
prized cultural treasure, the
9th-century book is stored
in the Old Library of Trinity
College in the heart of the city.
The well-worn tome contains
a richly decorated copy of the
four gospels and is based on
the Vulgate edition completed
by St Jerome in 384 AD. Written
on vellum, in an archaic script
known as insular majuscule,
the Book of Kells alone makes
a trip to the exhibition an
enthralling experience. Enjoy
a leisurely stroll through the
cobbled stone passageways
of the 16th-century Trinity
College and marvel at the
ornate architecture on display,
particularly the modernist
Berkeley Library and Arts
Building. Proceed upstairs to
the capacious Long Room,
which is home to a staggering
200,000 of the library’s most
ancient texts, the volumes
occupying row after row on
a series of oak bookcases.
Frequent exhibitions are held in
the Long Room, with displays
of the library’s extensive
holdings attracting bookworms
from around the globe. It’s
undoubtedly the Book of
Kells which is the college’s
centrepiece, however – the
famous medieval manuscript
draws over 500,000 tourists
every year.
