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All 462 Dublin Attractions »

The Book of Kells

Long Library | Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
01-608-2320
As featured in 3 days in Dublin
Ranked #53 of 222 attractions in Dublin
4.0 of 5 stars 139 Reviews
Type: Landmarks/ Points of Interest, Libraries
Fee: Yes
Owner description: The Book of Kells is a world famous illuminated manuscript written in Latin of the Gospels from the Bible. It was painstakingly hand-written and...... more » Owner description: The Book of Kells is a world famous illuminated manuscript written in Latin of the Gospels from the Bible. It was painstakingly hand-written and illustrated by monks around 800 A.D. « less
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139 reviews from our community

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Date Rating
Egham, England, United Kingdom
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 May 2012 NEW

Ok, so the Book of Kells and the library are interesting. However, the entry fee (8 Euros for students) is kind of high for us broke backpackers. First of all, it can be crowded. Second, you don't get to see much, only a few (albeit beautiful) pages. Third, you are not allowed to take any pictures, which is kind of... More

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Dublin, Ireland
Top Contributor
62 reviews 62 reviews
Reviews in 21 cities Reviews in 21 cities
57 helpful votes 57 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 May 2012 NEW
1
person found this review helpful

The Book of Kells and library are definitely worth visiting, even if the entry fee is a little steep (although frankly still quite a lot less than fees I have forked out lately in Barcelona and London!). However, much of the information is written in small font on wall panels, so if it is very crowded you basically won't be... More

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London, United Kingdom
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 May 2012 NEW

The Book of Kells museum and old Trinity library are definitely worth a visit. The museum is very well done and offers a great overview of the production and importance of these illuminated manuscripts. The highlight, of course, is getting to see the original manuscripts and their beautiful illuminations. The originals are held in a large, square viewing box, and... More

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See 3 more reviews by leralie for Dublin
San Francisco Bay Area
Top Contributor
53 reviews 53 reviews
Reviews in 26 cities Reviews in 26 cities
14 helpful votes 14 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 May 2012

The educational material in the Book of Kells exhibit at Trinity College is well done, so by the time you actually see the book, you are aware of it's history and significance. The space, however, is cramped and many school groups go through so it can be difficult to see the displays and the place can get noisy. Allow an... More

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See 5 more reviews by CaliforniaFoodie for Dublin
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 13 May 2012

Huge queues build up during the day - this was actually our third attempt at going, as every other time we went the queues were massive! So if you're on a day out in Dublin, make this your first point of call and get there for opening - save yourself some queue time! The exhibition itself is very informative, although... More

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See 2 more reviews by RugbygirlXV for Dublin
Des Moines, Iowa
Top Contributor
52 reviews 52 reviews
Reviews in 38 cities Reviews in 38 cities
24 helpful votes 24 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 13 May 2012
1
person found this review helpful

If you haven't read the above title, you should. It brings this exhibit to life. The book and its history are beautifully displayed and, if you get there early, you can take your time enjoying it. One piece of advice, however: Be there, standing outside the door to get in when they open at 9:30. We pretty much had the... More

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See 3 more reviews by jred922 for Dublin
New England
Top Contributor
94 reviews 94 reviews
Reviews in 40 cities Reviews in 40 cities
17 helpful votes 17 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 11 May 2012

This exhibit goes way beyond a "book" and shows a lot of history regarding the process, as other reviews have said. One further problem is it gets very crowded and hard to get close to the actual pages. If you have the opportunity a better option is to tour Trinity College with a guide. The campus history and architecture is... More

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See 7 more reviews by Cands2 for Dublin
San Salvador, El Salvador
Senior Contributor
23 reviews 23 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 May 2012

OK, most Dublin tourist guides will say that The Book of Kells is a must. I say: it's a must ONLY if you are into history. The Book of Kells is an exhibit that features more than just the book, it details how monks made the vellum and pigments that were used to write and draw the entire book. Most... More

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See 4 more reviews by Jaime H for Dublin
Cincinnati, Ohio
Senior Contributor
21 reviews 21 reviews
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 May 2012

Colorful, full of art, but a book and is costly to view. The old library is terrific. More

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See 20 more reviews by traveling_jab for Dublin
Portland, Oregon
Senior Contributor
21 reviews 21 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 May 2012

It was really expensive to get in to see the book of Kells and it turned out it was only 2 PAGES! It should be called "The Page of Kells". It was not that impressive. Over The Book of Kells. :( More

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See 7 more reviews by minkewaleveld for Dublin

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