Book of Kells

The Book of Kells is currently on display at Trinity College.

You can see the Book of Kells and 4 bays of remaining books.

https://www.visittrinity.ie/book-of-kells-experience/

You can see whatever page it is open to inside of a case.

My personal opinion is that this experience is underwhelming. If limited time I would spend it elsewhere.

It's on display, but you can only see one double-page per visit of the original book.

@Carol now retired, I will be in Dublin for the first time in a few weeks. Thank you for confirming what I suspected. The Book of Kells itself sounds fascinating, but the viewing experience, not so much. I wondered why it is considered a "must see" in Dublin.

To be clear, there's more to visiting the Book of Kells beyond the book itself (a lot of information about how it was written and illuminated manuscripts in general, you can see reproductions of the other pages, etc)- plus you get to visit Trinity Library, which I think is one of the most beautiful libraries in Europe. It's more than just seeing a single open book. But people have different priorities and that might not be for everyone.

Here is a link to an article about the redevelopment of the library
https://www.visittrinity.ie/blog/books-removed-from-trinity-library/

The "visit Trinity Library" website says that most of the books have been removed for conservation and they are showing some sort of NASA imagery in the library.
I might enjoy the library, but since most of the books have been removed, the "experience" appears to be mostly a multi-media display, and my time there is limited, I'm going to pass.

I wondered why it is considered a "must see" in Dublin.

Possibly because so many guide books plug it. Just because someone says it is a 'must see' doesn't necessarily mean that it is for you...

I've been to the Book of Kells 3 times (taking different people). My personal highlight is the Long Room. But I can't imagine visiting it without the books. I haven't been since the books were removed for conservation and haven't been to the new "Book of Kells Experience" so I don't know whether the "immersive experience" would make it worthwhile.

We were there in Aug with a Rick Steves tour. To say ALL of the books are gone is not true. There were books there to give you an idea. The statues are there. The harp is there. The NASA art is a large globe that is at the end of the hall. It was still an amazing experience and I am glad I saw it. But if it is not your thing don’t go. I would imagine there are recent YouTube videos that show what you can now see. Not sure what has changed since Aug but I am sure someone knows

I think it is listed as a must do because most people want to see it. But don’t feel you have to.
We enjoyed the experience but we love museums and history. Many do not

My personal opinion is that this experience is underwhelming. If limited time I would spend it elsewhere.

I echo what Carol said. Very crowded, hard to get close to displays. We left before completing.

No, it’s there in a case. I thought it was fascinating to see a couple of pages of the actual book, 1200 years old and beautifully preserved but then it’s all about your interests. Not everyone is impressed with old books. And I’m not quite sure what people expect to see, someone standing there flipping the pages of an ancient manuscript?

Edit….and Trotter, I believe they flip the pages a couple of times a year to limit the light exposure and for preservation purposes. You can check online to see which pages are on display.

Not quite sure what people expect to see, someone standing there flipping the pages of an ancient manuscript?

I think people are disappointed/underwhelmed from the actual Book of Kells when the page that is open is only text or text with minimal illumination. I know that was the case on one of my visits. So that's just pot luck. Maybe you're there when a spectacularly illustrated page is open. Maybe not.

So, Leslie, you have your answer that the Book of Kells is exactly as it always is - in a case, only open to one location in the book. What is different is the other books normally in the Long Library. Some are there to give you an idea and many are removed currently.

Nothing anywhere ever is a “must see”. Like someone suggested, I would google for some recent video to give you an idea of what to expect. This will inform your choice. People who are not impressed with either the library or the historically significant Book of Kells either simply have different priorities, different interests, or different expectations when they arrived. I personally was fascinated with all of it - but I was fortunate to visit when all the books were present. Whether I would visit now with many gone might depend on whether I ever expected to get back or not. But I would definitely want to have an idea of what’s there so I could set my expectations appropriately.

The CHESTER BEATTY LIBRARY behind Dublin Castle off Ship Street, has ancient religious texts on display—including pages from the sacred texts of Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Sikhism and Jainism. There are some ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS from the Koran on display, similar to the illuminated manuscripts of the Book of Kells.

While the “Book of Kells Experience” at Trinity College has a €21.50 admission charge, admission to the Chester Beatty Museum is FREE.
Free lockers are available to store your belongings. There is a cafe on site.
www.ChesterBeatty.ie

Hello TexasTravelMom,
great suggestion, about getting a video and making a decision. I might just go for the audio tour vs the guided tour.
Thank you.