New yorkers used to visiting the morgan library for their share of antique books might be tempted to skip a visit to dublins book of kells, an illuminated manuscript of the gospel that dates from at least the year 800 a. Directions to trinity and the book of kells exhibit. Visiting dublin travel tips for the intellectually curious. For me, it held one of the crown jewels of literature, the book of kells. One of the examples of an illuminated manuscript in existence, the lavishly decorated book of kells is one of irelands finest cultural treasures. Everything you need to know about visiting dublin for the. Located in the heart of the city centre in trinity college dublin, the exhibition displays the book of kells, a 9th century manuscript that documents the four gospels of the life of jesus christ. Maximize your time in irelands vibrant capital with a 24. Check out our resources for adapting to these times.
This past summer i was able to visit the exhibit on the book of kells in dublin and i felt overwhelmed at this amazing work of art and spirituality. Generally speaking, the library closes at 1700, though there are some exceptions. Visiting the book of kells at trinity college in dublin. Take your time here because when you walk into next room with the actual book. When visiting the dublin area, expedia can provide you with extensive the book of kells information, as well as great savings on nearby hotels and flights. England has the stonehenge, china has the great wall and ireland has the book of kells. It was created in a columban monastery in either britain or ireland and may have had. Bicycles at trinity college, dublin how to see the book of kells for half price or free. Book of kells, dublin ticket price timings address. It is indeed an interesting place to explore and spend some time at. Located in the heart of the city centre in trinity college dublin, the exhibition displays the book of kells, a. Please wash your hands and practise social distancing.
The book of kells and the long room are one of the most popular attractions in dublin so prepare for long lines. Top tips on parking near the book of kells parkpnp blog. Skip to main content trinity college dublin, the university of dublin. And hence couldnt imagine skipping the one at trinity college when i visited with my sister. One of the big highlights of visiting dublin is a stop at the old library of trinity college dublin to take a peek at the famous book of kells. Book your tickets online for the book of kells and the old library exhibition, dublin. Seeing the book of kells in dublin changes in longitude. There are two primary reasons why so many people go to see the book.
Jamess gate brewery, a brewery founded in 1759 in dublin by arthur guinness, is today the largest brewer of stout. Trinity college dublin, founded in 1592 by queen elizabeth 1, provides for a fascinating visit and it is one of irelands top attractions. No visit to dublin, irelands capital city is complete without a visit to the countrys oldest university and the academic birthplace of so many of its. Attractions normally visited before or after visiting book of kells people normally club together trinity college dublin and natural history museum while planning their visit to book of kells. Lasting 35 minutes, the tour encompasses the four major squares of the college. If you are visiting dublin for the first time, buckle up as im about to share information that will help you see more, know how to get from dublin airport to the city center, decide when is the best time to visit dublin, delve deeper into the citys history and. I had heard that the library was a mustsee even if you just have one day in dublin but just brushed it off its more than just a place for book lovers, the book of kells exhibit at trinity college is an interesting lesson in art, history, and religion.
So many books in library it is fascinating that they are still used by students today. After a viking raid which killed many members of their community they moved inland to kells, county meath about 70 kilometers northwest of dublin and continued work on the book. Fully guided visit of th century dublin castle exterior and gardens. Last year more than one million people visited the attraction, often a mustsee on tourist itineraries for visits to dublin.
The book of kells is displayed at the end of an exhibit titled turning darkness. Book of kells and old library in dublin visit a city. We entered directly for a morning tour time with online passes, but later in the day the queues were. Trinity college dublin is right in the heart of dublin and served well by cross city buses. Dublin, the longest singlechamber library in the world and worth a visit on its own. As much as i love everything morgan library, i still cannot skip a visit to work called the most beautiful book in the world in an 1896 new york times article. Listen as your guide brings medieval ireland to life.
Trinity college in dublin, to be exact, holds many a wondrous treasure for the insatiable scholar and fewer curiosities for the vaguely obligated tourist. Avoid the crowds and explore irish history in peace on this book of kells and dublin castle exterior tour. The college and its beautiful buildings are worth visiting on their own, but tourists tend to head straight to the library building to view one of dublin s top attractions. We had about a 20 minute wait to get into the library. You enter a room with large poster size copies of the book of kells and videos explaining more about it. I planned to buy the heritage island explorer guide but not su. Worth visiting while in dublin the book of kells and the. I wondered if something might bring home the rich world that opened to me in that experience the brilliant, rich, deep treasure that we experienced. The book of kells exhibit and the old library are well worth the time and cost. Visiting the book of kells at trinity college library, dublin. The book of kells is one of irelands greatest treasures. Apologies about the shakes and the poor quality i tried to fix that, but wasnt. Bought a timed ticket for 10 am, so had most of the tourists in dublin.
Trinity college library is the home to the book of kells. Im a little worried about spending a lot of time in line. The book of kells and the old library exhibition dublin. Very few things on this planet have stood the test of time. The tickets can be bought on location the till is located in the souvenir shop, just beside the library entrance or online and give access to both the book of kells and the long room. How to see dublins book of kells for free or half price.
If you are looking for the book of kells travel information, expedia has you covered. When visiting trinity college, there are 3 main things you will want to see. Admission to the treasury to view the book of kells, entrance to the exhibition turning darkness into light and a fully guided visit to the old library of trinity college. Trinity to shelve book of kells for four months the irish times. The book of kells is irelands greatest cultural treasure and the worlds most famous medieval manuscript.
A visit to the illuminated manuscript, the book of kells, in trinity college library in dublin, ireland. Would recommend booking online and arriving earlier in the day. One of the most unique and special destinations in the world, kells welcomes you to come and explore and become a part of its special story. Visit the trinity college library, home to the famous.
While we were visiting dublin last summer we were able to go to the trinity college library and see the book of kells. The book of kells and the old library exhibition dublin 2020 all. More americans than ever visiting trinitys book of kells. Kells had high crosses or termon crosses, entrance points which stood at the 5 entrances to the monastery see map below which shows medieval kells, which roughly corresponds with monastic kells. The star of the show is the book of kells, a breathtaking, illuminated manuscript of the four gospels of the new testament, created around ad 800 by monks on the scottish island of iona, but more stunning still is the 65m long room, the librarys main chamber, which houses around 200,000 of. The old library book of kells exhibition dublin visitor centre. On my last trip to the emerald isle, i had one mission see the book of kells and the magnificent library it is housed in. There are two luas stops situated less than a minutes walk from trinity college.
I arrived at the library exhibit entrance and purchased my ticket to view the book just before it started to rain. Book of kells exhibition dublin visitors centre dublin. This manuscript is the finest example of insular art in existence. The book of kells in trinity is considered one of irelands greatest national. Instead, the highlight for me was getting to see trinity college librarys magnificent, librarylustinducing long room. Book online so you dont have to wait for tickets and try to get there early before the crowds. The book of kells will take us to one of the most visited touristic attractions in dublin, ireland, which is trinity college library where the book if kells is placed and which is considered the. Located in the heart of dublin city centre, at the historic trinity college, this international attraction draws in crowds from around the world by the thousands. If you are planning on visiting trinity college library and the book of kells i would give yourself a minimum of two hours. Housed within the old library building, the book of kells is a precious 9th century manuscript, featuring an exquisite combination of ornate latin text and intricate illuminations.
The book of kells is an illuminated manuscript gospel book in latin, containing the four gospels of the new testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. Considered to be irelands greatest national treasure, the book of kells isnt the only treasure youll find in the old library, however. It is an illuminated manuscript of the four gospels dating from more than years ago. Fasttrack access book of kells and dublin castle tour dublin. But despite visiting dublin on numerous occasions, i had never visited one of the most famous books, in one of the most famous libraries, in the world the book of kells in the trinity college library. The book of kells is a 9 thcentury gospel manuscript which contains the four gospels of the life of jesus. The entrance points were at carrick gate, maudlin gate, canon gate, farrell trim gate and dublin gate. Top tips for visiting book of kells old library the. Discover how the worlds most famous medieval manuscript was made and learn about the rich symbolism behind it. Strolling the campus of trinity college, citys historic seat of learning, is a great way to start a visit to dublin. What an excellent visit facilitated by the passion and enthusiasm of anne our.
So, we thought wed put together an opinionated list of our favorite things to do in dublin, organized around a 36hour window. Dublin has over 1,000 pubs and several hundred types of beers. The book of kells exhibition is a mustsee on the itinerary of all visitors to dublin, ireland. On my previous trips to dublin, i had walked by trinity college many times but never ventured inside. Stay at trinity college dublin in the heart of dublin and explore all that tcd has to offer including the book of kells exhibition, trinity gift shop and more. Columcille and his monks contributed to keeping the light of learning alive in europe during its dark ages. Beat the crowds early access to the treasury to view the incredible book of kells and the old library.
A visit to the book of kells at the old library in trinity college dublin is a journey through some of irelands most iconic cultural heritage. Visiting the long room at trinity college library in dublin. Parliament square at trinity college, dublin the book of kells. Visit trinity college dublin and the book of kells exhibition. The book of kells is ancient at least 1,200 years old, and maybe even older than that. Visit the trinity college library, home to the famous book of kellswidely considered among the most important of all irelands ancient treasures. The book has been visited by many famous figures and continues to grow in popularity. The dart stations of pearse street, tara street and connolly station are a short walk away.
New statistics reveal more americans than ever before are visiting the book of kells. Apr, 2020 the book of kells exhibition is a mustsee on the itinerary of all visitors to dublin. The exhibition is a mustsee and is located in the heart of dublin city, a walk through the cobbled stones of trinity college dublin. Kells was once known as the splendour of ireland and st. The book of kells is an illuminate medieval manuscript that contains the four gospels of the new testament that was created in 800 ad and is considered one of irelands national treasures.
In a nutshell, the book of kells is a collection of ancient books which retells the gospels. The book of kells is an illuminated manuscript of the biblical new testament gospels in latin and created in a british or irish columban monastery dating back to c. The book of kells is irelands greatest cultural treasure and the worlds. The old library and the book of kells is a lovely library thats often crowded. The two ways to avoid paying the 10 fee to see the books of kells are as follows to see the book of kells and the old library for half price, visit 30 minutes before the library closes. The book of kells is a work of art from the dark ages, believed to. When visiting be prepared to wait to enter, when i. The facts given above are based on traveler data on triphobo and might vary from the actual figures. Authenticity tours offers a combined ticket which incorporates discounts on the cost of a guided tour of trinity college dublin and the admission fee to the book of kells and old library exhibition. The book of kells in trinity is considered one of irelands greatest national treasures. Book of kells early access and dublin castle guided tour 2020.
775 1197 245 1488 1456 1504 1518 1276 1110 679 935 564 1465 924 983 1593 317 1466 172 196 904 1578 1338 309 456 246 8 737 1313 424 42 1235 690 636 120 198 1316 38 650 1263