Dublin: The Book of Kells

People will be puzzled if you were in the vicinity of The Book of Kells but didn't view it. First off, it's not a book about kells, whatever those might be. They are books of the Gospel named after the Abbey of Kells which housed it for centuries. It was created about 800 AD and a remarkable work, not just for surviving all those centuries but also as a masterwork of calligraphy and illumination. It comprises four volumes and pages from a couple are on display in a darkened room for a couple of weeks before the pages are turned.

The Old Library was just 5 minutes from my lodgings so how could I skip it. You have to specify your half-hour slot when you book your ticket, an attendance control measure. Mine was for 0900 but the 0830 group must have been small so we were allowed in early.

Before the room with the original are many posters and slides about all aspects of The Book and related works.

The chronology of The Book. Notice that you can rent an audio guide with headphones.

Naturally it has been subject to a lot of scholarly examination. They have deduced from the calligraphic style various scribes. The substrate and the inks have been subject to scientific analysis. Suffice it to say that the scribes and artists were infused with the purpose of creating something greater than themselves that outlived them.

Fortunately you don't have to travel to Dublin, the book can also be viewed on the Internet.

The upper floor of the Old Library contains the Long Room with many original manuscripts. Along with a few other Irish libraries the TCD library is entitled to receive a copy of every book published in Ireland. Also due to an older act, it is entitled to receive, on request, a copy of every book published in the UK. Nowadays submissions are electronic.

It also holds the Brian Boru harp which is the oldest of three surviving Irish harps. The harp is the emblem of Guinness stout.

A better view of the harp.

Also held is one of the surviving copies of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic read by Patrick Pearse outside the Dublin GPO.

The room also contains busts of famous scholars through history. I've included only a couple.

I wonder how they can be sure that's what he looked like. I guess they can't.

They've also recently added four female scholars: Rosalind Franklin, Ada Lovelace, Augusta Gregory, and Mary Wollstonecraft, to begin to rectify a long-standing inequity.

And that was the end of about ¾ of an hour in the Old Library.

As usual, one exits through the gift shop. I suppose any funding for their conservation is welcome.

Oscar Wilde doesn't have a bust in the Long Room, but I think he would have liked this seated statue outside the Kennedy's Pub and Restaurant on Westland Row better. Seems he once worked here.

I happened upon that pub on the way to get a sushi lunch. It was alright but they squirted mayo on the dish again! It tastes fine without it!

I don't remember what I did for the rest of the day and there are no more pictures. Except for one of a clutched gelato cone to send to a friend. Isn't that terrible? I must have been getting homesick.