What are the opening hours?

Monday 9:30am - 5pm Tuesday 9:30am - 5pm Wednesday 9:30am - 5pm Thursday 9:30am - 5pm Friday 9:30am - 5pm Saturday 9:30am - 5pm Sunday 12pm - 4:30pm

The Book of Kells Experience

Home
Ireland
Dublin
The Book of Kells Experience

Directions Website Contact the organisation

The Book of Kells and Old Library is a must-see on the itinerary of all visitors to Dublin, Ireland. The Exhibition and gift shop are open 7 days a week.

The Book of Kells is Ireland's greatest cultural treasure and the world's most famous medieval manuscript. Visit the Book of Kells, Ireland’s greatest cultural treasure. Tucked away in the magical Old Library of Trinity College Dublin sits one of Ireland’s most prized possessions just waiting to be discovered. The Book of Kells, a precious 9th century manuscript, is an exquisite combination of ornate Latin text and intricate illuminations. Discover how the world’s most famous medieval manuscript was made and about the rich symbolism behind it. You’ll also gain access to the Long Room, one of the world’s most beautiful libraries and home to 200,000 of Trinity College’s most ancient texts. A visit to Trinity is a journey through some of Ireland’s most iconic cultural heritage. Online booking is recommended. Find out more at www.bookofkellsexperience.ie

30/10/2026

Explore the beautiful details of folios 129v – 130r, Gospel of Mark, now in display in the Old Library at Trinity College Dublin.

129v is a page of extraordinary decorative intricacy and symmetry. The four Evangelist symbols are positioned around a vibrant, yellow-edged cross, with interlaced snakes in the centre. Each symbol is encircled in yellow. Blue and yellow flabella (liturgical fans) are placed above and below the evangelist symbols, with yellow attachments which may be bells. The man is accompanied by a winged figure, with one corner of green infill in the top left corner above him, a seemingly unfinished decorative feature. The lion is accompanied by a calf and an eagle; the calf is accompanied by an eagle and another calf; and the eagle by a calf and a lion. This is to highlight unity in the Gospels.

The opening words of the Gospel begin on folio 130r Initium euangelii iesu Christi ‘The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ’. The decorative motifs woven into the artwork on the page – peacocks, snakes and a lion– are symbols of Christ’s resurrection and appear frequently throughout the Book of Kells.

04/09/2026

Folios 7v – 8r, Gospel of Matthew are now on display in The Old Library at Trinity College Dublin. Take a moment to delve into the extraordinary details.

The Virgin and Child illustration in the Book of Kells (c.800) is the earliest known extant depiction of the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus in Western manuscript art. Located on folio 7v, facing the Breves Causae of Matthew on folio 8r, it is the sole major representation of a woman in the entire manuscript.

The Breves Causae, customary in early medieval Gospel books, are lists of chapter contents. The Breves Causae of Matthew I-III open opposite the Virgin and Child page with a full-page announcement of Christ’s birth: NATIUITAS/CHRISTI IN BETHLEM IU/DEAE MAGI /MUNERA OFFERUNT ET /INFANTES INTER/FICIUNTUR REGRESSIO which translates to, ‘The birth of Christ in Bethlehem of Judea.

29/07/2026

Tomorrow, the Book of Kells Experience is taking part in Dublin By Dusk , a citywide celebration of Dublin’s culture, experiences and nightlife.

Join us in the Old Library and make the Book of Kells part of your evening in Dublin. We’ll be open until 8pm.

Tickets are available via the link in our bio.

21/07/2026

Take a moment to explore the beautiful details of Folios 309v – 310r from the Gospel of John. Now on display in the Old Library The Book of Kells.

The two lions on the left-hand folio, whose life-giving breath is shown in the form of grapes, are key elements in this opening (John 6.42-57), which deals with the eucharist (a Christian sacrament in which bread and w**e are consecrated and consumed in remembrance of Jesus’s death). The lions frame the passage in which Jesus tells his doubtful listeners that whoever believes in him will have everlasting life: qui credit / in me habet uitam aeternam (lines 11-12).

The lions look across to the parallel passage on the facing folio, lines 10-13, to Jesus’s message: ‘He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day.’ A further celebration of the eucharist comes in line 17 on folio 309v, in the form of a calligraphic chalice and bunch of foliage, where the central stem may be wheat, a reference to the bread of life.

15/05/2026

Delve into the exquisite details of the beautiful Folio 284v from the Gospel of Luke. Now on display in The Old Library.

Address

The Book Of Kells Experience, Trinity College Dublin, College Green
Dublin

Opening Hours

Monday	9:30am - 5pm
Tuesday	9:30am - 5pm
Wednesday	9:30am - 5pm
Thursday	9:30am - 5pm
Friday	9:30am - 5pm
Saturday	9:30am - 5pm
Sunday	12pm - 4:30pm

Website

http://www.bookofkellsexperience.ie/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Book of Kells Experience posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.