Sabbatical Dispatch #3: Dublin: The Book of Kells and Marsh’s Library

The Book of Kells

One of our first stops in Dublin was to see The Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is an ancient illuminated copy of the Bible, dating from around the year 800. It was actually produced at St. Columba’s abbey on Iona. However, when Vikings began raiding Iona and the abbey, many of the monks left and established a new monastery in Kells, Ireland, taking many precious and sacred items with them. Thus, it is called The Book of Kells, but it was birthed in Iona. The Book of Kells is now housed at Trinity College, Dublin. It is so fragile, only one page is displayed at a time, but the whole Book of Kells Experience is informative and inspiring.

The day we visited, it was displaying a page from the Gospel of Luke (my favorite Gospel.) Pictures are not allowed of the book, but displays highlighted the beautiful and complex detail of each page. The manuscript reflects the remarkable scholarship and craftsmanship that existed in that time.

Marsh’s Library

While in Dublin, friends arranged for a private tour of Marsh’s Library with the director of the library, Jason McElligott. Marsh’s Library is Dublin’s oldest public library, founded in 1707 by Archbishop Narcissus Marsh. The books date from the 16th—18th centuries. As the director told us, when they talk about the “new” books in their collection, they are referring to books from the 1750’s. Today it continues to serve the public as a research library.

After walking us through the stacks, Jason showed us some of the remarkable books in the collection, including a first printing of Principles of Mathematics by Sir Isaac Newton (1867), a 16th century Dutch world atlas, copies of which were given as diplomatic gifts, a 16th century Hebrew Bible written in Venice, the library register where Bram Stoker (author of Dracula) signed in while a student at Trinity college, and a book that James Joyce himself checked out.

A Faith Built to Last

Spending time in these historic sights and experiencing the living legacies of the monks who created the Book of Kells and Archbishop Marsh’s vision for a public library made me think about how the things we do in our time can bless generations in the future. The decisions we make for our church today are not only about the next year, five years, or ten years, but about being an enduring great church, which can be a blessing and resource for generations to come.

We Had Fun Too!

Finally, we had a lot of fun in Dublin too. You cannot be in Dublin and not have fun. We did a food tour, walking tours, saw the Long Room library at Trinity College, visited many pubs, enjoyed the traditional music, learned how to pour the perfect pint at the Guinness Brewery, saw St. Patrick’s Cathedral, had afternoon tea, swam at the Forty Foot, and delighted in spending time with friends and meeting the incredibly friendly Irish people.