Book of Kells & Trinity College

Ireland’s oldest university and home to the Book of Kells

 

Founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, Trinity College Dublin is Dublin’s most centrally located (just a five minute walk from the Drury Court Hotel), oldest and arguably most prestigious university. The compact design of the college ensures that it maintains an aura of calm, despite being right in the centre of the city, and seamlessly blends a number of architectural styles.

The Front Square buildings with their Gothic influence and the impressive Campanile are a real must see for any visitors to the city. 

There are full tours of the campus, given by current students of the University, all year round that leave from the Front Arch for anyone looking to delve a little deeper into the fascinating history of the University and know many of its quirks (for example, why you’ll never see a student walk under the bell of the Campanile in Front Square!)

The stunning Long Room library on campus houses one of Dublin’s most visited Tourist Attractions- the Book of Kells- with a recently updated exhibition to provide a comprehensive guide to the whole history of the book. The book contains the 4 Gospels in Latin, beautifully illustrated on calf skin vellum, as well as summaries & canon tables and is thought to have been written around 800AD.

There is just one page of the Book of Kells on display at any one time- carefully guarded behind glass, to protect the over-400-year-old book, so if you would like to see a little more of one of Ireland’s gems, please ask at the hotel reception. We are fortunate enough to have a very rare replica copy onsite and one of our friendly team will be happy to show you this in detail!