The Book of Kells Admission

 

The Book of Kells was created around the year 800 AD and researchers believe that it was originally produced in a monastery on the island of Iona off the coast of Scotland. It appears to have been created by three artists and four scribes. When Iona was attacked by Vikings, the surviving monks moved to a sister monastery in Kells, Co. Meath. Some scholars believe that it was here that the Book of Kells was finished.The Book of Kells remained in the town of Kells until 1653 when it was moved to Dublin after the town suffered serious damage during the military occupation in the wars of the 17th century. The Old Library building, which houses the Long Room, was opened in 1732. The Long Room has been a working library since then and students and researchers from Ireland and around the world continue to consult the volumes of books it houses to this day.