Trinity College

Here's the thing about the Book of Kells. If you are interested in ancient manuscripts, the Bible, or art (especially the first two), it could be a highlight of your trip, as it was of my 2023 trip. If none of the three of those float your boat, don't spend the time. The Library itself is awe-inspiring, but by the time I was there it was partially emptied out. Again, if old libraries are your thing, go, regardless of whether the books are on the shelves or not. If old libraries in general sound like a yawn to you, definitely don't go because of the library portion.

Saw the Book of Kells last summer. Even without the books on the shelves, I still found the library room itself impressive. We enjoyed the Trinity College tour led by a student which led into the Book of Kells experience. I would categorize it as ‘worth doing’ especially if you like old books and libraries.

I saw the Book of Kells exhibit in 2018. I found it very worthwhile and interesting -- not just the book itself of which only one page is displayed at any given time -- but the whole exhibit explaining how it was made. However, I always thought it was odd that so many many people would wait in long lines to see something that I suspected didn't really have mass crowd appeal. I would suggest rather than reading the reviews, read descriptions and look at photos to determine if this is your thing or not.