Dublin - Trinity College & The Book of Kells

History

Trinity’s sprawling expanse of stone buildings, cobblestone walks, and green grounds is protected by ancient walls.

The British built the college in 1592 as a Protestant seminary with the dubious goal to “civilize the Irish and cure them of Popery.” The college was an important part of the lives of the Anglo-Irish elite as they made their way to high government and social positions.

The Catholic Jacobites who held Dublin for a brief time in 1689 used the campus as a barracks and prison. Bullet holes from the Easter 1916 uprising still mark the stone entrance.

Jonathan Swift, Robert Emmet, Thomas Moore, Edmund Burke, Oscar Wilde, and Samuel Beckett are just a few of the famous Irishmen who studied here.

Until the 1960’s the Catholic church deemed it a cardinal sin to attend Trinity. When the ban was lifted, the student body more than tripled.

The Old Library & The Book of Kells

Circa AD 800, Irish monks made multicolored ink from plants and bugs and set about creating a four-volume edition of the Gospels. Each page holds an amazingly intricate array of Celtic designs, into which images of animals and Latin text are interwoven.

In 1007 the books were found at Kells, where thieves had earlier buried them. The books are now on display in the Old Library, but for preservation purposes, the display is limited to two volumes at a time. Only one page is turned each month.

Shop Irish

Ancient Map of Ireland

Reproduced in exceptionally fine detail from an original map dating back to 1779, this map is printed with a unique "raised" effect on authentic parchment paper. Double matted and ready for display in a standard 11 X 14" frame. (Frame not included.) From Ireland. Approx. 11 X 14".

 

Traditional Irish Turf

The aroma of peat perfectly captures the Irish countryside. 100% Irish turf comes from the famed bog lands of Ireland and is compressed in easy-to-use, long-lasting bricks. Burn alone or add to fireplace, wood stove, chimenea, or campfire. From Ireland.