The Book of Kells is an illuminated Latin Gospel book from around 800 CE — 340 vellum folios written and painted by Irish monks, with margins exploding in interlace, animals, and human figures tangled in their own decoration. It’s one of the world’s great medieval manuscripts and Trinity College’s most-visited treasure since 1661.

The exhibition holds two volumes open at any time (one decorated page, one text page), turned every few months. Beyond the manuscript, the highlight is the Long Room — the 65-metre Old Library hall lined with 200,000 of Trinity’s oldest books and the 15th-century Brian Boru harp.

Pro tip: the digital scan of the entire manuscript is free at digitalcollections.tcd.ie if you want to study individual pages without queuing.