Trinity College Dublin and the Book of Kells

Ireland'S Oldest University (Founded 1592), Home Of The Ninth Century Book Of Kells And The Long Room Of The Old Library · Dublin, Dublin

Trinity College Dublin, founded in 1592 by Elizabeth I, is Ireland's oldest university, and its cobbled Front Square in the middle of the city is one of the calmest places in Dublin. Visitors come for two things in the Old Library: the Book of Kells, a Latin gospel book made by monks around 800 AD and often called the finest medieval manuscript in the world, and the Long Room, a barrel-vaulted 18th-century library hall lined with marble busts and dark oak bookcases, famous from a thousand photographs. The visit is the Book of Kells Experience: timed tickets take you through an exhibition on how the manuscript was made, past two volumes of the book in a dim treasury, up to the Long Room with the medieval Brian Boru harp, and on to an immersive gallery. The honest caveat: for a major conservation project almost all the books have been taken out of the Long Room, which now looks much emptier than the famous pictures, and it closes for works at the end of 2027 - the manuscript will then move to the restored Printing House on campus.

College Green, Dublin 2 (Book of Kells Experience entered from the campus, off College Green and Nassau Street), Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

The Book of Kells Experience opens daily, typically from about 08:30-09:30 to about 17:00, with longer hours in summer and shorter on Sundays; it closes for a few days around Christmas (confirm). Entry is by timed ticket bought online, and summer slots sell out days ahead. The campus grounds are free to walk in daytime. Enter from College Green or Nassau Street; it is a few minutes' walk from Grafton Street, and the Luas Green Line and many buses stop at College Green and Westmoreland Street.

Trinity College Dublin and the Book of Kells on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos