The Book of Kells is one of Ireland’s most famous cultural treasures, and can be found carefully preserved and on display in Trinity College, Dublin.
The Book of Kells is the world’s most famous medieval manuscript and dates from the 9th century. It is a richly decorated copy of the four Gospels and portrays the life of Jesus Christ.
Now let me hand you over to the good folks at Trinity to fill you in on all the details. I hope you enjoy examining the lovely illustrations they shared from this priceless treasure ….
FREE Online Course Exploring Irish History Through The Book of Kells:
A new, free, online course developed by Trinity College Dublin will allow learners worldwide to explore the history of Ireland through the remarkable Book of Kells — one of the world’s most famous medieval manuscripts.
The ninth-century Book of Kells is one of Ireland’s greatest cultural treasures. A lavishly decorated copy of the four gospels written in Latin, it is set apart from other manuscripts of the same period by the quality of its artwork and the sheer number of illustrations that run throughout the 680 pages of the book.
Housed at the Library of Trinity College Dublin, the Book of Kells is one of the must-sees on the itinerary of visitors to Dublin.
Now members of the public around the world will have the opportunity to learn more about this precious manuscript through a new four-week online course.
Trinity’s Partnership with Futurelearn:
The “Book of Kells: Exploring an Irish Medieval Masterpiece” course will commence on October 8th, 2018.
It is run in partnership with Futurelearn, the social learning platform.
The free online course is aimed at anyone with an interest in Ireland, medieval studies, history, art, religion and popular culture.
The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) has been designed by academics from the School of Histories and Humanities, the School of Religion and staff from the Library.
Using the Book of Kells as a window, the course will explore the landscape, history, theology, and politics of early medieval Ireland and explore how that past is understood in modern Ireland.
Since 2014, Trinity has reached over 70,000 learners from more than 100 countries worldwide through seven free online courses with Futurelearn, the social learning platform.
See more here: 
What The Course Will Cover:
Learners on the course will explore the art, theology and materiality of the manuscript and the meanings that it holds.
Each week the course will explore a different side of the Book of Kells; its history, how it was made, interpreting its images, and what the book means for popular culture today.
At the end of the course learners will be able to explain the function and meanings of medieval Irish art; understand how medieval manuscripts were made and engage critically with methodologies and scholarly debates which have shaped interpretations of the period.
The course will also equip learners with knowledge of the distinctive features of the Irish Church in this era and an understanding of the visual, theological and historical characteristics of medieval material culture.
The Book of Kells is one of the world’s greatest medieval treasures. It is a lavishly decorated copy of the four gospels written in Latin with supporting texts.
It is set apart from other manuscripts of the same period by the quality of its artwork and the sheer number of illustrations that run throughout the 680 pages of the book.
It was intended for ceremonial use on special occasions such as Easter rather than for everyday use.
It is not known exactly when the Book of Kells was written but it is thought that it may have been around 800 AD.
It was written and illustrated by hand using all of carefully prepared materials including vellum, inks and pigments. It is believed that the Book of Kells was written in a monastery founded by St Colum Cille on Iona in Scotland.
Viking raids were widespread at the time of the creation of the Book of Kells and it became too dangerous for the monks to continue living on the island. The monks fled from Iona to their newly established monastery in Kells, Co Meath, around 807AD.
It is not known if the book was written wholly in Iona or if part of it was written in Kells, but we know that it remained in Kells throughout the Middle Ages and eventually, it was placed in the Library of Trinity College by Bishop Henry Jones of Meath in 1661.