News

The formal script in the Book of Kells is known as ‘Insular majuscule’. The Insular script that developed in Ireland spread to Anglo-Saxon England and continental Europe as the Irish monks carried out their missionary work. It was based on scripts from antiquity but adapted so that the detached letters were easy to read with […]

The 1,200 year old pages (known as folios) in the Book of Kells have been turned to reveal a striking new display. Visitors to the Old Library can now get a close up view of the richly decorated illustrations and dramatic symbolism in Temptation of Jesus (folio 202v). The episode is described later in the […]

The Book of Kells Exhibition is proud to launch a series of multi-user friendly children’s animations which it created with funding from the Heritage Council of Ireland. The animations were specially devised to bring new accessibility and introduce children to the Book of Kells and The Long Room in a fun and enjoyable way. Two […]

This year, the Book of Kells Creative Competition invites contestants to share art and writing that evoke the beautiful colours featured in the Book of Kells, the 9th century masterpiece renowned for its rich, colourful symbolism. Let’s learn more about the animal symbolism behind the famous book: The Book of Kells, housed in the Old Library […]

The Book of Kells is so exquisitely painted that for centuries people have wondered about the source of its vibrant and varied colour palette. Alongside the indigo and azure blue we talked about in our last blog, the colours white, purple and pink also feature heavily in the famous book.  Today, people often consider the […]

We wish to advise you that the Book of Kells and Old Library Exhibition will close from 19 September 2020 in response to government advice on limiting the spread of COVID 19. While our team was truly excited to welcome the public once again following lockdown, the welfare of our visitors, students and colleagues remains […]

Paintings in manuscripts, protected for centuries in bound volumes, are the best-preserved examples of how medieval colours were used. The Book of Kells is one such example, its pages featuring intricate illuminations in shades of blue, white, red, pink, green and yellow. One of the book’s most prominent colours is blue, which features on nearly […]

The new Book of Kells Treasury and display case were unveiled in the Old Library at Trinity College Dublin today. The ninth century manuscript, one of Ireland’s greatest cultural treasures, will be showcased in all its magnificence in an exclusively designed case in the newly refurbished Treasury. It will provide an even more inspiring visitor […]

Everyone can all fall foul of a creative block now and then, but the trick is to try and progress past that block to reach your eureka moment. This year, the Book of Kells Creative Competition invites contestants to share art and writing that evoke the beautiful colours featured in the Book of Kells, the […]