3. Field Project: Book of Kells. TCD. TASKS
1. Meet at the Entrance of the Old Library in Trinity
College Dublin (possible queue!!).
2. Enter the Exhibition and take notes from some panels
and visit the “Treasury”. Take your time… For example,
have a look at the Chi-Rho page from the Book of Kells.
Spend time looking at it. See how much you can find.
Can you find cats and mice? Can you find angels?
3. Visit the Long Room, have a look at the 1916
Proclamation of the Irish Republic and try to find, at
least, one of their proposals.
4. Find out how books are organised in the Old Library.
5. Identify some famous men among the marble busts.
Visit Tuesday 02/08/2016: English for Teachers & Activate your English
Visit Wednesday 03/08/2016: English & Culture - CLIL
5. The Ogham alphabet is also known as the 'Celtic Tree Alphabet'. Trees had
magical powers as they were home to fairies, according to the Ancient Celts.
The Oak, the Ash and the Thorn form a magical trio known as the fairy triad.
6. Book of Kells: from Iona to Kells
St Colmcille’s House, Kells
Iona Abbey, Scotland
7. The Book of Kells
• It contains the 4 Gospels in Latin
• 340 folios bound in 4 volumes. 33 fully
illustrated pages.
• It is written in Insular script (which was
developed in Britain and Ireland)
• Images and illustrations tell a visual story of
the words
• First letter of each paragraph adorned with
animals, men and mythical creatures (this is
unique to Irish illuminated manuscripts)
• Lot of typos and mistakes left uncorrected.
Also, when a verse doesn’t fit on one line, it
is squished in somewhere nearby
• The Book stayed in Kells until 1654, then sent
to Dublin for safekeeping, and presented to
Trinity College in 1661
9. The “Chi Rho”
Chi Rho Page. Book of Kells. Iona,
Scotland, 8th-9th century
• It is considered the most elaborate
specimen of calligraphy ever
executed. Tempera on calf vellum.
• Greek letters XPI (ch, r, i, in
English), abbreviation for “Christi”,
beginning of verse 18, Matthew I
("XPI autem generatio....“ Now the
generation of Christ..)
• Letter Rho snuggled underneath
the arms of the Chi. Both letters
divided into compartments
decorated with knot work, hidden
animals and insects, angels…
• The background is a mass of
swirling and knotted decoration.
10. The “Chi Rho” page
Chi Rho Page. Book of Kells. Iona, Scotland, 8th-9th century
Element of Air: Angels, messengers of God
One angel holds
two flowering rods
Two angels hold
gospel books
Element of Water: An otter
with a fish in its mouth
Fish: ancient symbol of Christ
& of waters of baptism
11. The “Chi Rho” page
Chi Rho Page. Book of Kells. Iona, Scotland, 8th-9th century
Incorruptibility of Christ represented by peacocks:
Filigree of men and peacocks sorrounding a
lozenge with the logo Word of God
Resurrection of
Christ: Two butterflies
holding a chrysalis
Blonde head: Could it
be Jesus Christ Himself?
12. The “Chi Rho” page
Chi Rho Page. Book of Kells. Iona, Scotland, 8th-9th century
Beard-pullers: two pairs of
confronting men pull each
other’s beard or their own one
Interpretations by scholars:
• these images illustrate human
conflict
• they evoke the entanglements of
human relationships and emotions
• show the spiritual community
• show the intimate friendships
among the monks who created
the manuscript
13. The “Chi Rho” page
Chi Rho Page. Book of Kells. Iona, Scotland, 8th-9th century
Element of Earth: Two rats
fighting for a communion host
Two cats with mice on their
backs survey the scene
St Augustine (not transubstantiation): the
unbelieving mouse can not eat God’s flesh,
a spiritual sign dependent upon faith
St Thomas Aquinas (transubstantiation): the mouse, along
with the unbeliever eats the Lord's flesh (the bread has been
converted into that substance. Faith plays no role here)
Medieval conundrum: If Jesus says “I am
the bread of life and whoever eats of this
bread shall have eternal life,” then what
happens to the mouse who eats the
Eucharist? And what about the cat that
eats the mouse?
14. Book of Kells – some features
• 33 fully illustrated pages.
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15. The Old Library – The Long Room
The Long Room houses 200,000
of the Library's oldest books
The Library is a legal
deposit library legally
entitled to a copy of every
book published in Great
Britain and Ireland.
The library receives over
100,000 new items every
year.
16. The Old Library – The Long Room
How are books organised in the Old Library?
Who are the people that the marble busts represent?
17. The Old Library – some features
• In the Old Library books are organised by …
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18. The Old Library – The Long Room
At a time when most of Europe was ruled
by emperors or kings, the Irish Republic
Proclamation was ahead of its time
We declare the right of the people of
Ireland to the ownership of Ireland and to
the unfettered control of Irish destinies, to
be sovereign and indefeasible.
The Republic guarantees religious and civil
liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities
to all its citizens, … cherishing all of the
children of the nation equally, …
… the establishment of a permanent
National Government, representative of
the whole people of Ireland and elected by
the suffrages of all her men and women…
19. The 1916 Proclamation – some features
• The 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic was read outside
the General Post Office on 24/04/1916 by Patrick Pearse.
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25. Field Project: Book of Kells. TCD. TASKS
1. Meet at the Entrance of the Old Library in Trinity
College Dublin (possible queue!!).
2. Enter the Exhibition and take notes from some panels
and visit the “Treasury”. Take your time… For example,
have a look at the Chi-Rho page from the Book of Kells.
Spend time looking at it. See how much you can find.
Can you find cats and mice? Can you find angels?
3. Visit the Long Room, have a look at the 1916
Proclamation of the Irish Republic and try to find, at
least, one of their proposals.
4. Find out how books are organised in the Old Library.
5. Identify some famous men among the marble busts.
Visit Tuesday 02/08/2016: English for Teachers & Activate your English
Visit Wednesday 03/08/2016: English & Culture - CLIL
26. Field Project: Book of Kells. TCD. TASKS
1. Meet at the Entrance of the Old Library in Trinity
College Dublin (possible queue!!).
2. Enter the Exhibition and take notes from some panels
and visit the “Treasury”. Take your time… For example,
have a look at the Chi-Rho page from the Book of Kells.
Spend time looking at it. See how much you can find.
Can you find cats and mice? Can you find angels?
3. Visit the Long Room, have a look at the 1916
Proclamation of the Irish Republic and try to find, at
least, one of their proposals.
4. Find out how books are organised in the Old Library.
5. Identify some famous men among the marble busts.
Visit Tuesday 02/08/2016: English for Teachers & Activate your English
Visit Wednesday 03/08/2016: English & Culture - CLIL
29. Book of Kells - Links
Coloring the Chi-Ro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkAmCwEgsRE
The book of Kells & the Secret of Kells
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbqhU262qdc
INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF KELLS
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/bok/bok04.htm
Book of Kells Now Free to View Online
http://www.tcd.ie/Library/news/2013/03/book-of-kells-now-free-to-view-
online/
http://digitalcollections.tcd.ie/home/index.php?DRIS_ID=MS58_003v
The Book of Kells Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRGQPJIO5CM&list=PLuMxdXhb60Qv1
vuSwWFEMQMRWvJjLzOAY
31. Book of Kells – some features
• A copy of the 4 Gospels, inscribed in Latin by Irish monks
around 800 A. D.
• Scholars estimate that it took seventy-five years to complete.
• Hand-written and painted on pages of vellum (calf-skin).
• Spectacularly intricate designs (brightly colored birds,
animals, faces and figures humorously entwined with the
letters).
• The book, as it has survived, has 680 pages.
• The Book of Kells derives its name from the Irish village of
Kells (NW Dublin). The book was kept in their monastery for
several hundred years. In 1661 the Book of Kells was
transferred from Kells to the Trinity College Library in Dublin.
• Considered one of the most famous and valuable illuminated
manuscripts to have survived to modern times.
32. The Old Library – The Long Room
• Built between 1712 and 1732. In 1860 the present
barrel-vaulted ceiling and upper gallery bookcases
were built.
• Filled with 200,000 of the Library’s oldest books. Each
shelf is marked with a letter and each book is assigned
a number.
• Since 1801 the Library has the right to claim a free
copy of every book published in Britain and Ireland.
• Male Marble busts: great philosophers and writers of
the western world (e.g. Jonathan Swift) and other men
connected with Trinity College Dublin.
• Copy of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic
(read outside the General Post Office on 24/04/1916
by Patrick Pearse).
