Residents of the County Meath town of Kells want the most famous book in the world and Ireland’s major tourist attraction back – but Trinity College is refusing to repatriate The Book of Kells.
A new campaign has been launched in the medieval town to bring the famous manuscript back to its hometown over 350 years after its removal.
Locals in Kells have formed a new lobby group with the intention of getting Trinity College to release at least one of the four volumes of the ancient manuscript so it can go on display in Kells.
They want to base a new tourism industry around the manuscript which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Dublin city centre university each year.
Just a few months ago the Queen of England was an interested visitor to the College to see the Book of Kells for herself.
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The book was written by monks around 800 AD. It went missing when Oliver Cromwell’s army arrived in Kells in 1654, and resurfaced in Trinity six years later.
The current display at the College features the illuminated copy of the four Gospels and is one of the top five tourist attractions in Ireland.
The Book is worth millions to the College as it can attract over half a million fee paying visitors each year.
College bosses have however already rejected the attempts to relocate The Book of Kells.
The new Kells group said: “The book is an early Christian artifact and should be celebrated in an early Christian setting as opposed to its current profane setting.”
Kells Tourism Forum chairman Aidan Wall added: “Trinity College does not own the Book of Kells; it is a national treasure and is owned by the people of Ireland. Our town is its natural and spiritual home.
“The forum believes that having one volume of the book in their town would boost tourism.”
Trinity College responded however with a statement which said “The display and storage of the manuscript are subject to very careful environmental controls and security.
“Since the year 2000, it has been the policy of the board of Trinity College on the grounds of security, environmental and preservation concerns to decline such requests.
“The preservation of this manuscript must take priority over all other considerations.”
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.johnshiel | Sep 06, 2011, 09:00 AM EDT
there are some truly valuable ideas proffered in this series of comments. (they are NOT conveyed by the childish snobs arguing to one-up each other.) But my first and only visit to Trinity and "the book..." was in March 2010 and was a disappointment. Was glad and impressed to see the real deal, but only a page or two. And not very well. Conservation considerations require relatively low lighting. And the large backlighted vertical reproductions were weak as well. The political skirmishing over the display site is not inconsequential either. But a worthy presentation site in Kells has undeniable authenticity and impact. Monks' writing desks etc. would be brilliant. So would a number of modern high tech interpretive technologies that are in use today, coming substantially from the fertile minds and fat accounts of the Disney franchise. The new Abraham Lincoln Museum in Springfield Illinois is a positively stunning example.
molliepmac | Sep 02, 2011, 01:30 PM EDT
"The Book of Kells" belongs as much to Scotland as it does to Ireland. According to research, it was written around the year 800 AD, probably in the monastery of Iona, off the Scottish coast. This monastery was founded by the Irish Saint Columba. The Columban monks also had a monastery at Kells in County Meath. Iona was under regular threat of attack by Viking raiders, and at some point in the 9th Century the book was sent over to Ireland for safekeeping. Meath County Council have proved themselves incapable of heritage safekeeping- in particular they presided over destruction of 40 heritage sites during construction of the M3 motorway through the Tara Complex. Who would trust this precious book to that county?
sirpeter | Sep 01, 2011, 04:00 PM EDT
By the way Georgy.It's Sir Peter.
Searlit | Sep 01, 2011, 03:51 PM EDT
This year would probably be a good time to view it, as tourism is down.
sirpeter | Sep 01, 2011, 03:44 PM EDT
Georgy Boy.You have more comprehension problems I see.Never said it should be in Kells.You think you are so literate ha ha ha.Try reading my first post again dopey.First line
jamieLM | Sep 01, 2011, 02:56 PM EDT
@JohnKinMD, I had the same experience viewing the Book of Kells in Sept. a few yrs. ago as you did. I guess we're some of the lucky ones, and yes, that WAS great for us.
GeorgeDillon | Sep 01, 2011, 01:01 PM EDT
sirpeter, as much a poltroon as ever. If the Book of Kells doesn't belong inside the Pale (capital P, by the way) why should it be in Kells, which was inside the Pale? It's just impossible to follow your half-witted "logic"--you always seem to be drunk when you post.
GeorgeDillon | Sep 01, 2011, 12:57 PM EDT
JohnKin: Well wasn't that great for you.
JohnKinMD | Sep 01, 2011, 09:16 AM EDT
I saw The Book of Kells this past May, and GeorgeDillon,I was not rushed, waited my turn to get up to the book and viewed it at my pace.
Springfield9 | Aug 31, 2011, 09:45 PM EDT
There's an American University (St. John's in MInnesota) producing a hand done illustrated parchment bible. It's taking time but the monastery has plenty of that.
sirpeter | Aug 31, 2011, 09:08 PM EDT
@eiriamach. ;))
eiriamach | Aug 31, 2011, 06:49 PM EDT
LOL! You're the history expert, sirpeter, by acclamation.
sirpeter | Aug 31, 2011, 03:16 PM EDT
Georgy Boy.The book was written by monks around 800 AD.There was NO pale then Georgy Boy.That's why I said it didn't belong inside the pale.The pale been West Brit even to this day.What part confused you Georgy?
eiriamach | Aug 31, 2011, 02:56 PM EDT
Searlit, if someone else would skin the sheep and make the vellum, I'd be happy to put some calligraphy and simple illustrations on it. Ireland has more medieval manuscripts besides the Book of Kells. Those I've seen vary in amount of illumination, with the Book of Kells the most ornate. There are facsimiles to work from. Bottom line: Like many others, I could copy from a facsimile, no creativity involved, just some experience with pens and brushes and gold leaf, I think. I'd really like to see a replica of a medieval monastery library, complete with drawing tables and tools. I've seen many ruins of monasteries, and a 19th century monastery library (beautiful!) but nothing much older. When I saw the Book of Kells in Trinity, no one rushed me through. The pity is that you'd have to return every day for I don't know how many years to see all the pages if they show one new page every day!
SeamusMor | Aug 31, 2011, 01:43 PM EDT
All four volumes should be on display. Spread them around the country to encourage tourism and travel. Care for them as Trinity does. Kells, Armagh, and Clonmacnoise might be good venues to consider.
maloney | Aug 31, 2011, 12:58 PM EDT
Go feck yourself georgiedildo!!
GeorgeDillon | Aug 31, 2011, 12:31 PM EDT
I have sympathy with neither side in this dispute. Kells is situated in Meath County, which has a disgraceful record in preserving its heritage, culminating with the county insisting on a turnpike being constructed right thru Royal Tara. Kells has also failed in its stewardship of its High Cross. A year or two back it was nearly demolished by a truck, and more recently it's been covered with grafitti by some of Ireland's fine young people. As to Trinity, their stewardship of the Book of Kells is a total rip-off. I haven't gone to see it since the 1980s, but American friends who have gone have told me that they barely got a few seconds to view the Book, had to stand six-deep around its case, and were moved on so that more tourists could be ripped off. Of course the tourists are paying for this "privilege"--what's it now, ten bucks for one minute viewing of the Book? And Trintiy has the confounded cheek when you are leaving to ask you for donations. I have always thought that in an endemically corrupt country that Trinity College Dublin deserved investigation, not just for the Book but for the unchallenged support it's had from successive governments. It's set right in a working-class area of Dublin, but it does nothing to support that community.
KerryLKing | Aug 31, 2011, 12:26 PM EDT
I have to agree that as long as Kells did proper preservation in climate-controlled case (as is done by Trinity) and advance security then they should have at the least 1 of the copies.if there
Searlit | Aug 31, 2011, 11:51 AM EDT
Eiriamach, are you an artist? I saw the Book of Kells, at Trinity in 2005. It was difficult to see, as there were so many people trying to view it, at the same time. I would rather walk around in the beautiful ancient sites of Ireland, anyday.
AengusOg | Aug 31, 2011, 11:25 AM EDT
A visit to Kells-on-line proved very disappointing. Kells could capitalize on being the supposed birthplace of the Book of Kells in a variety of ways that would not involve the original manuscripts. Slide shows, re-enactments of facets of monastic life, partially complete manuscript facsimiles in need of illumination or calligraphy, the opportunity to create rubbings, and reopening the museum. A direct jitney or bus from Dublin would also be helpful once Kells began to generate interest.
goldenblade | Aug 31, 2011, 10:21 AM EDT
I think you are all missing the point. The Book of Kells was the most special thing to come out of the town, out of the "School of Kells", and illuminators and artists used all their skills to produce something truly worthy of the glory of God. The Book of Kells was a revered relic in the Monastery and used in worship and ceremonies there for eight hundred years. This is the "heart" of the town that was ripped out by Cromwellian forces. We will build a facility worthy of a volume of the Book. We have 3 facsimile copies of the Book of Kells here - its equivalent to showing a hungry man a photograph of a meal and hoping that he would feel full afterwards.
donal1951 | Aug 31, 2011, 10:06 AM EDT
The Book of Kells belongs in a full-fledged library, such as Trinity College, where curators know how to care for ancient manuscripts. Here in the USA, we don't send the Constitution, the Declaratrion of Independence and other founding documents, much "younger" than the Book of Kells, on trips around the country.
eiriamach | Aug 31, 2011, 09:58 AM EDT
Reading the other comments, I realize that I agree with sirpeter-- share the fees!
eiriamach | Aug 31, 2011, 09:51 AM EDT
"Profane"-- say, what? Trinity College has not been a "profane" venue since Trinity students reduced to dust the equestrian statue of William of Orange that had stood on Faiche an Choláiste since July 1, 1701, the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne. The argument given by the Kells group is a neat bit of self-contradiction: "The book is an early Christian artifact and should be celebrated in an early Christian setting as opposed to its current profane setting" and “The forum believes that having one volume of the book in their town would boost tourism.” They want to take it out of Trinity College, where they think it only attracts tourists, so that they can have it back in its home town, only to attract tourists? If tourists profane Dublin, they'll profane Kells! This squabble is all about the money. I propose that the Trinity custodians work out a fee-sharing deal with the townspeople of Kells so that Kells can build a replica of a medieval monastic manuscript studio. Wouldn't that be worth visiting? I'd go to see it and pay a few Euro for the privilege. I'd even volunteer to dress up in monk's garb and sit there and copy a few manuscripts by candlelight for the sake of making it look authentic!
goldenblade | Aug 31, 2011, 09:40 AM EDT
As an inhabitant of Kells, we expected a negative reply from Trinity as this is their stock response. However, preservation of the book is not rocket science, there are several qualified people in Ireland who can do that - or be trained specifically in the care of a volume of the Book. I suspect the "main" consideration is money, as the millions generated by the Book of Kells goes towards junkets for the staff of Trinity College. Trinity College was set up against the people of Ireland, and it continues to act against the interests of the people of the town from where they robbed the Book.
cillowen | Aug 31, 2011, 09:35 AM EDT
anti-royalist cromwell doings must have charmed the queen considerably as she toured Trinity the bastion of angloism in her usurped land.
GeorgeDillon | Aug 31, 2011, 09:34 AM EDT
"it really doesn't belong in the pale." You idiot, sirpeter, Meath is and always was part of the historical Pale, in fact Kells was on the marches between the Pale and Gaelic Ireland. Is there any area of knowledge where your ignorance doesn't rule?
sirpeter | Aug 31, 2011, 08:57 AM EDT
To hell with that.Security,environmental and preservation comes first over money.But Meath do have a point.Maybe a percentage of the take.After all it really doesn't belong in the pale.