The Book of Kells Experience Review
The Book of Kells. It's on everybody's must-see itinerary in Dublin along with the Guinness Storehouse. I only visited it once in my four years as student at Trinity and even that was only in an effort to impress a date by appearing cultural. But that was a long time ago, so today I went to visit it again.
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What Is The Book of Kells?
It's the Gospels in latin written on calf skin by monks in the 9th century. Experts say it is the most precious object in the Western world from the medieval period for its intricacy and beauty.
It's so famous because Trinity College wants the income from the near 1 million visitors per year who pay €26 each to see it.
Trinity College Dublin
The Book is on display in the Old Library in Trinity College Dublin. This is very convenient for visitors because Trinity is THE centre point of Dublin. Trinity was founded in 1592, so it's an institution in itself.
What Do You See In The Book of Kells Experience?
Your entry is for a certain time slot. Look for the sign with your time on it and join the line. I was on the 10:30am tour and an 11am person tried to join our tour but was turned away, so they seem to be strict about it.
The Exhibit
When you enter the building, you'll see QR codes to listen to the audio guide on your phone so be sure to bring some earphones. It's in 14 languages, wifi available.
There's an exhibit with information on the Book of Kells, the other less famous books of the time and full floor to ceiling images of some of the pages from the Book.
It's educational for sure but was so absolutely packed that it was hard to actually read anything. Many of the visitors were groups of young students who were more interested in selfies than gospels. I took photos to read the exhibits in the sanctity of my house.
The Book Itself
You enter a dark area where the book is on display. The Book is made up of four volumes but there was only one on display. It looked small, like a coffee table book about Scandinavian interiors.
But it is wonderful. I spent 10 minutes looking at it, imagining the hands that produced it, the history it has seen and how it looked like it was just published yesterday. Credit to the restorers.
No photos are allowed which may have explained why it was the quietest part of the whole experience. Says a lot about traveling today.
The Long Room
This is the highlight of the tour. It's a spectacular building that's half the length of a football field filled with bookshelves. Harry Potter could have been filmed here.
It is a special place but even in March, it was busy. I dug out a little corner where I spent a long time looking at the beauty of these ancient books.
Everyone else was captivated by Gaia, a large hanging spinning globe. Its brightness is a lovely contrast to the brown library tones. It is captivating watching it slowly spin around.
Look for one of the copies of the original Irish Proclamation of Independence, it's overlooked given its significance.
The Red Pavilion
As Trinity alumnus, I hate the Red Pavilion where the Digital Experience is located. They popped up this huge bright red Ikea lookalike in the midst of the gorgeous old college buildings. It couldn't look any more out of place.
The Digital Experience itself is nothing special. There's some bookshelves which might have been bought in Ikea. There's an 8 minute 'immersive' film about the Book and a very slow moving one about the Old Library.
I suspect the whole purpose of Red Pavilion was just an excuse to build a huge gift shop to extort more money from the visitors.
Tour Length
It's self guided. I spent 75 minutes doing it.
Conclusion
If you could visit this on your own, it would be a memory that you would carry for life. The inevitable crowds do take away somewhat from the experience. But you still get to see the world famous Book of Kells & the gorgeous Long Room and so it's hard to skip it if you're in Dublin.
After The Tour
There's more to see on the campus, turn left out of the red pavilion and you'll see the playing fields. Walk along the fields and follow them around to the left. There's an exit at Lincoln Place. Go for lunch at either Lincoln's Inn if you want good pub food or Tiller + Grain if you want a lighter salad or sandwich. More on the best places to eat in Dublin.
Do I Need To Book Ahead For The Book Of Kells?
Yes. I talked to a ticket seller and she said in peak season, they start selling out two weeks in advance. So you should buy your tickets ahead of time.
You might get lucky and get a ticket on the day, but you'll have to take what time they have available. There are different options for tours:
- Trinity Trails Campus Tour
This is a walking tour of the Trinity Campus itself. It does not include entrance to the Book of Kells. It's an excellent tour around Trinity's beautiful campus. - Book of Kells Experience
This is a self guided tour that I've just reviewed to see the Book of Kells including access to The Old Library & the Digital Experience. - A Combo Ticket for the campus tour and Book of Kells
You can buy tickets for these tours on Trinity's website.
4. There is a Skip The Line Tour of Book of Kells that includes a guided tour of Dublin.
Toilets
There are no toilets available on the tour. Go to the Arts Building directly across from the Old Library entrance before the tour. You can sanitize and fill your water bottles here too.
If You Like This
You'll love National Museum of Ireland Archaeology Collection. They have old books too and so much more. There's only about 10% of the visitors and 0% of the cost. It's free.
For More Things To Do In Dublin
Ireland by Locals
Ireland by Locals
More Photos From the Book of Kells Experience
