Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground

Thursday August 15 2024

I saved The Book of Kells Experience for Thursday morning because there was rain in the forecast and I figured the exhibit would take several hours. Housed in the space under the Trinity College Long Room Library, the tour actually begins in the Library. Most of the books have been removed for conservation and restoration. There are a few bays where there are books on display. Front and centre is the massive Gaia Sculpture suspended over the Long Room. Created by artist Luke Jerram, the installation features NASA images of the Earth’s surface floating in three dimensions as it might be seen from space.

The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript and Celtic Gospel book in Latin containing the four Gospels of the New Testament. (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John). It also contains various introductory texts and tables. It is inscribed on high quality calf vellum circa 800 AD in either Scotland or Ireland. It takes its name from the Abbey of Kells, County Meath, Ireland which was its home for centuries. It was created in a Columban monastery and is thus also referred to as the Book of Columba. The lead-up to actually seeing the book was well organized and detailed providing colourful excerpts of the artwork and extensive descriptions of how the ink and the various vivid colours were produced. The book is displayed in a space apart with special lighting and protected by a transparent case. There is a security guard on duty and absolutely no photos of any kind are permitted. Two pages are on display and they are changed every few weeks. For me, it was difficult to discern the details in the lighting provided but the overall effect was impressive. Simply to see such a legendary piece of artwork is a rare privilege. Being in the Long Room once again, I had the opportunity to see the Brian Boru Harp.

Back outdoors again, it appeared the weather was lifting, so i headed off in the direction of St. Mary’s Pro Cathedral (Roman Catholic) on the other side of the Liffey. Even though Christ church Cathedral has been in the hands of the Church of Ireland for nearly five hundred years, Rome has not revoked its status as the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop, St.Mary’s is referred to as the Pro Tem Cathedral. Constructed over a ten year period between 1815 and 1825, it has a neo-classical facade while the interior is more Renaissance in style. I arrived while Mass was in progress celebrating the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I was well attended for a weekday Mass and I waited until the end to take photos and make a video. The advantage of arriving at a church during a service is that I frequently get to hear the organ.

There are other attractions on that side of the Liffey from O’Connell Street to the Eye and the Spire and the General Post Office.

Dubliners being the witty people they are and the The Spire being a controversial subject , there are several epithets in circulation regarding the sculpture: the pin in the bin, the stiletto in the ghetto, the stiffy by the Liffey, the spire in the mire and the spike. Also known as the Monument of Light made of eight hollow stainless steel tubes, it towers over the city at a height of 120 metres. The site where it stands was formerly the home of the Nelson Monument bombed by the IRA in 1966, it also replaces the Anna Livia Monument installed in 1988. The latter was moved to another location.

The General Post Office was one of the key posts taken by the rebels during the 1916 Easter Uprising. It was completely destroyed by British shelling. Toady, the reconstructed building not only functions as a post office, it houses a detailed history of the uprising with artifacts on display and video commentary by three or four historians. If you’re in Dublin, I highly recommend it. It’s not an easy piece to view: as one of the commentators pointed out, there were many civilian casualties that never asked to be included in the event but they died anyway. On a happier note, due to a shower of rain, I ducked into a pub for a delicious bowl of seafood chowder and a thick slice of buttered Guiness bread to fortify myself for the rest of the afternoon.

I was retracing my footsteps across the Liffey to the Grand Lodge of Ireland building located in Molesworth Street for an afternoon guided tour by the Grand Tyler.

After the tour, there was enough time to visit the National Library around the corner before it closed for the day. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a readers ticket so didn’t have access to the Reading Room. What I did have the opportunity to explore was an exhibition about James Joyce. What a way to end the day!

And then it was time to go for dinner and then pack up for an early trip to the airport in the morning. A sad business but it had to be done! Here are some final shots of Dublin.

I have saved the following video of two young people performing traditional Irish music in the street as my end to recounting my Irish adventure. They did it very well, in my opinion, but didn’t know the titles of the tunes or their stories. Until the next time, stay healthy, happy and contented.