Dublin Treasures
from The Book of Kells
We saw things in Dublin of extraordinary wealth and beauty, and too much detail to be treated lightly or included in passing in the journal pages. I am glad that you've taken the time to make this side trip to see something of what thrilled us.
We saw old books at the Bodleian in Oxford, but for me, The Book of Kells has special meaning. Undoubtedly the most beautifully illuminated ancient manuscript, the work has been an inspiration and a challenge to me since I first heard about it. But seeing it -- only three pages, as only three or four pages are ever displayed at one time -- was magnificent. Perhaps you can see, in the illustrations below (in both cases a page or section and an enlargement of part of the page) the depth of detailing and the fanciful use of animal and celtic motifs that make this so completely an Irish book, even though it's a copy of the Gospels.
