The Book and Secret of Kells

Dublin is renowned for its literary tradition, dating back over a thousand years when monks would transcribe the bible into beautiful manuscripts. The best surviving example of which is the Book of Kells, dating from 800 AD and it is on show at Trinity College, which has been voted the no 2 top attraction in Ireland to visit on TripAdvisor's list of Ireland's Top 10 Attractions for 2013, and has also been awarded a TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice Award.

Kids under 12 can visit the Book of Kells for free and there is a family ticket for €18 which would be great if you have older kids as it covers 2 adults and 4 children. 

To get your little ones interested beforehand you could look up some free online colouring pages for them to do.   Trinity Library has designed sets of worksheets which can be downloaded from its website used during and after a tour by students or young kids. These give some background text to the exhibition and pose related questions. Similarly, teachers’ guides provide some ideas for preparation prior to a class visit and some further resources. These could be useful to set the scene and get the kids interested. 

Nominated for an Academy Award in 2010 (Best Animated Feature), The Secret of Kells is a vibrant animation that retells of the origin the Book of Kells. It could also provide some inspiration before a visit.  It will be screened at The Ark on the 11th January at 3pm.  An exhibition of limited edition art prints of scenes from The Secret of Kells will also be on at The Ark from 11-26 January.