The Book of Kells Experience

The Book of Kells Experience is located on Dublin's Trinity College campus, specifically the Old Library and the new Red Pavilion.

4/1/20252 min read

Housed in the Old Library of Ireland's oldest university, Trinity College, the Book of Kells is an extremely important and lavishly embellished 9th century manuscript.

The Book of Kells Experience is a fascinating exhibit showcasing not just the Book of Kells itself but also the history of Christianity arriving in Ireland; an explanation of how such religious texts were made and the meaning behind the religious iconography; a walk through one of the most famous library rooms in Europe; an immersive virtual display of its construction; and the art instillation Gia - a massive rotating globe suspended from the ceiling of the Long Room using imaging of the Earth from space supplied by NASA. Down the centre of the long room are various display cases showcasing letters written by Irish literary giants as well as original posters and declarations from the civil war and the creation of the Republic. At the time of my visit only the first six alcoves (three on each side) of the Long Room contained books, the others having been removed for care and conservation efforts. Instead, there are some interesting little videos explaining the how and why of conserving such old books and architecture. I don't know when books will be returned to the shelves so pay attention when booking your ticket as there was - and still is - a notice saying that the shelves are currently empty.

There is also now an installation called the Red Pavilion - funnily enough this is a giant red shipping container-esque building - found on the New Square (still on the main campus of the college) in which there are myriad recordings of Irish writers, texts, music, and more. This is also where the 360 display of the Long Room is located - the immersive virtual display mentioned above - which is both informative and fun to watch, though it does contain moving images and a loud voiceover that could be uncomfortable. The 360 is the final section of the Red Pavilion before the gift shop. The entrance to the display is kept closed for the duration of the virtual tour, however you do not need to stay for it if you don't want to; instead you can walk straight through and exit through the door to the gift shop or ask staff to by-pass it completely. I will say that if you are prone to sensory overload a pair of ear plugs / ear defenders and perhaps even some sunglasses would be handy to have with you in the Red Pavilion as the displays throughout can be quite bright and all the different recordings playing over each other can become overwhelming. This was certainly the part I struggled with the most until I got into the 360 room, which I personally found to be rather calming and extremely mesmerising.

Each individual room is level and wheelchair accessible and every floor is connected via a lift, however if you are going to need to use said lift you must inform someone at reception who will inform the floor crew. The lifts can only be used when escorted by a member of staff.