Colmcille Illuminations Kells Tour (Heritage Week 2022)

The Colmcille Illuminations Kells Tour is back!

Following the success of the award winning 2021 event (National Heritage Newcomer Award) the Colmcille 1500 Kells committee will once again bring the story of St. Colmcille into life and glorious colour during Heritage Week 2022.

Our experienced tour guides will take you for a wander in the footsteps of the Columban monks and you will discover the illuminated outdoor spaces and historical sites where each image appears in vivid colours. Our guides will be your storytellers and place each image into the context of life in Medieval times of Colmcille, and of his followers who came to call Kells home.

Imagine distant sounds of stonemasons carving stone, metalworkers gently moulding gold and silver creating treasures, like the Kells Crozier and the Cumhdach …. sense the long hours of writing and study which brought the precious manuscripts that were the jewels of the Middle Ages to the world.

The award winning illuminations showcases Kells connection to St. Colmcille and the distinctive iconography, artwork and symbols first evident in the Cathach, a 6th century manuscript said to have been penned by Colmcille himself.

It is this magnificent artwork inspired by St. Colmcille and developed by Columban monks reaching its zenith in the Book of Kells that is central not only to the identity of Kells, but to that of Ireland.
Family event. Tours begin at 9pm.

Book at www.itsplainsailing.com/club/kells or download the self guided tour Illuminations Walking Tour Map
www.discoverkells.ie