Kells

The town of Kells was originally known as Ceannus Mor, meaning “Great Residence”. Founded as a monastic settlement by St Columcille in the 6th century, it is widely known as the place where the famous Book of Kells was created. The original settlement was built on a circular pattern, still evidenced by the current layout of the modern streets.

The Book itself – a unique, hand-illustrated medieval version of the Gospels – now resides at Trinity College in Dublin. In its early years, the monastery at Kells was considered one of the great religious centres of Western Europe.

In flight from the Vikings in the 9th century, a group of monks from Iona took up residence here. Some historians claim they brought the famous Book– then a work in progress – with them. Records say that the treasured tome was stolen in 1007, because of its rich golden case, and then hidden – buried in a nearby bog where it was found months later.

The best-preserved part of the monastic settlement is St. Columcille’s House, which sits among the town’s modern dwellings. Once a church that housed the relics of St. Columcille, you can now visit the room where the Book of Kells was completed: a small two-chambered vault just beneath the roof at the top of a metal stairway. You can find St. Columcille’s house located just behind St. Columba Church.

In the churchyard stands an impressive round tower, along with some High Crosses. The Market Cross is most unique, engraved with ornate versions of biblical stories.

Near the Market Cross is the Old Court House, which now houses the Heritage Centre. Here, you can take in an audiovisual presentation about the origins of the Book of Kells, and can view actual pages with the aid of touch screen computers. The Centre also contains a model of the monastic settlement as it looked circa 800 AD, and some interesting replicas of other treasures that are now located in the National Museum.

Getting There:
Kells is located about 50km northwest of Dublin on the N3/M3.