The Book of Kells

Apart from being too busy, the Book of Kells Experience at Trinity College, lived up to expectations this morning! Understandably, no photos are allowed of the Book itself but it was still awesome spending some time looking at the open pages through the glass. Its journey through time is a saga worthy of googling and the creativity of the text and illumination is quite incredible. I also learned, amongst lots of things, that I have been mispronouncing Oghams forever.  My blip is of one of the illuminated pages of vellum picturing Christ with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the Book of Kells being the four gospels.

After viewing the Book I moved in to the Long Room in the Old Library. All the books have been cleared for cleaning and a huge spectacular rotating globe has been suspended from the vaulted roof. Quite something! From there it was on to the light shows which relate the journey of the Book from Iona to Kells, but also tell how the Long Room was developed and populated. I really enjoyed these.

Tony was busy at the Museum of Archaeology and we had arranged to meet at the CPQ Centre for lunch at the Bake House, so I walked through the City and wrote my postcards until he arrived.


From there we booked in to the Jeanie Johnstone Tour. This is a replica of a boat which made 14 emigration trips to Quebec during the Famine Years. The startling fact about this ship is that no one died throughout its voyages back and forth because the owner was a humanitarian and looked after his passengers, unlike the owners of the 'coffin ships' who kept their passengers in the hold for the 4-6 weeks it took to cross the Atlantic. 50 000 Irish people died on the emigration alone. The guide on the Jeanie Johnston was entertaining and educating, a must see if you are ever in Dublin.

We took the shuttle bus from hotel to airport to pick up our hire car during rush hour. On the way back several warning lights relating to tyre pressure system and braking system were flashing! Long story short we had to return and pick up another car, just a tad stressful! So tomorrow we head for three days of orienteering at the Irish Championships.