The Book of Kells is one of Ireland’s great cultural treasures and one of Ireland’s top visitor attractions. Thought to have been created around AD 800, it contains the four gospels of the Bible transcribed by monks on lavishly decorated pages full of intricate and elaborate artistry. It contains the earliest known surviving image of the Virgin and Child in Western manuscript art.
The new Book of Kells Experience is set within a specially constructed pavilion in the historic grounds of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland’s oldest university. Visitors will first view the Book of Kells in the Old Library, before moving to the Long Room, considered to be one of the world’s most beautiful libraries.
They then embark on a 360° immersive journey in the pavilion filled with stories, sights, and sounds inspired by the ancient manuscript and the Old Library’s precious collections. This includes a spectacularly innovative digital reconstruction of the Long Room.
Visitors to the Experience will follow the Book of Kells on its extraordinary journey from Iona in Scotland over the Irish Sea to Kells, and onwards to Dublin in the present day, as 1,200 years of history and stories unfold before their eyes.