A new world-class digital exhibition at Trinity College Dublin transports visitors into the illuminated pages of the ninth-century Book of Kells. 

The Book of Kells Experience

The Book of Kells is one of Ireland’s greatest cultural treasures and one of Ireland’s top visitor attractions. Thought to have been created around AD 800, it contains the four gospels of the Bible transcribed by monks on lavishly decorated pages full of intricate and elaborate artistry. It contains the earliest known surviving image of the Virgin and Child in Western manuscript art.

The new Book of Kells Experience is set within a specially constructed pavilion in the historic grounds of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland’s oldest university. Visitors will first view the Book of Kells in the Old Library, before moving to the Long Room, considered to be one of the world’s most beautiful libraries. 

The Book of Kells

They then embark on a 360° immersive journey in the pavilion filled with stories, sights, and sounds inspired by the ancient manuscript and the Old Library’s precious collections. This includes a spectacularly innovative digital reconstruction of the Long Room.

Visitors to the experience will follow the Book of Kells on its extraordinary journey from Iona in Scotland over the Irish Sea to Kells, and onwards to Dublin in the present day, as 1,200 years of history and stories unfold before their eyes. 

The Book of Kells Experience

The Book of Kells Experience also explores and showcases several of the books and manuscripts from the Old Library’s historically significant collections. Visitors will travel to 1916 to hear the Proclamation of the Irish Republic; interact with spirited sculptures including Ada Lovelace, Jonathan Swift, Rosalind Franklin and William Shakespeare; and witness the architectural evolution of the Long Room reimagined from 1732 to modern day.

Janet Redler, Managing Director of Janet Redler Travel, said: “This wonderful new exhibition will help to illuminate the history of the incredible Book of Kells and the stories inspired by it. It will without doubt add a great deal to the visitor experience at one of Ireland’s most popular tourist attractions. Not to be missed!” 

The artistry of the Book of Kells

The new exhibition is part of the conservation works for the Old Library Redevelopment Project, which will safeguard the eighteenth-century building and conserve its precious collections, spanning millennia, for future generations.

Founded in 1592, Trinity College has a fascinating history so after visiting the Book of Kells Experience it is worth taking a guided or self-guided walking tour of the campus on one of the Trinity Trails. These tours explore the university’s stunning architecture and history and delve into stories of its most famous students, including Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett and Jonathan Swift.

If you or your group would like to enjoy a visit to the new Book of Kells Experience as part of a tailor-made tour of Ireland, please do contact our team today. Or perhaps you would like to explore the history of the UK and Ireland on one of our dedicated Archives, Collections and Manuscripts Tours?