A new online course developed by Trinity will allow members of the public to study the history and theology of the Book of Kells over a four-week period.
The free course, “The Book of Kells: Exploring an Irish Medieval Masterpiece”, is aimed at people with an interest in Irish history, art and religion and will commence on October 8th. It was designed by academics from the School of Histories, the School of Religion and library staff and is conducted in partnership with Futurelearn, a social learning platform.
In a press statement, Rachel Moss, one of the designers of the course and an Associate Professor in the History of Art and Architecture, said: “In this course we look forward to being able to share the manuscript with those who have yet to see it for themselves, and share it again with those that have.”
The course “will not just dwell in the past”, she said, but will allow learners “to explore its minute and intricate art, how it was made and what it might have meant to its makers”.
Dr Fáinche Ryan, Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and the Director of the Loyola Institute, called the Book of Kells an “Irish treasure” in the press statement. Ryan described it as “a text both of great beauty, and of great learning”.
With different topics covered weekly, including interpretations of the images of the Book of Kells and examinations of its relevance in popular culture today, learners should by the end of the course be able to “explain the function and meanings of medieval Irish art; understand how medieval manuscripts were made and engage critically with methodologies and scholarly debates”.
The Book of Kells, housed in Trinity’s Old Library, is the most famous medieval manuscript in the world and is a popular tourist attraction. 454,000 people visited the exhibition in the first half of last year alone. This marked a 10.6 per cent increase on the number compared to the same period in the previous year, with the largest cohorts of visitors coming from the US, Ireland and China respectively.
