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Book of Kells Early Access Tour with Dublin Castle
2h30
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About this activity
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: The Book of Kells and the Old Library Exhibition, College Green Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2 Ireland
Visit the 9th century Book of Kells, described in the 1007 Historical records off Ulster as 'the most precious object in the western world'. The cultural and historical value of the Book of Kells has only increased in the millennium since - this exquisite work of art has stood for 1,200 years as the greatest example of medieval illumination. This tour starts by delving into its rich ornamentation and explores its dense symbolism and meaning and its merit as an artistic masterpiece.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: The Book of Kells and the Old Library Exhibition, College Green Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2 Ireland
Visit Europe's largest vaulted library located above the Treasury where the Book of Kells is displayed. The Old Library is a “must see” on the itinerary of all visitors to Dublin. Located in the grounds of Trinity College Dublin visitors will be immersed in the 18th century, when the magnificent and extraordinary Old Library building was constructed. Your expert local guide will lead you upstairs from the Book of Kells Treasury to the magnificent Long Room which houses 200,000 of the Library’s oldest books in its oak bookcases. Your expert guide will also show you one of the few remaining original copies of the Irish Declaration of Independence as well as the 15th century copy of the 11th century Irish Warrior "Brian Boru".
Duration: 25 minutes
Stop At: Trinity College Dublin, Grafton St. College Green, Dublin 2 Ireland
After your visit to the Book of Kells and Library enjoy 10 minutes at the venues souvenir shop.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Dame St Dublin Castle, Dublin 2 Ireland
Continue on this fascinating fully guided tour to Dublin Castle, the heart of historic Dublin. Originally built in the 13th century on a site previously settled by the Vikings it functioned as a military fortress, a prison, treasury, courts of law and the seat of English Administration in Ireland for 700 years.
Rebuilt in the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, Dublin Castle awaits to enthrall all who enter her gates. On this fully guided exterior tour, see the original 13th century Record & Octagonal Towers, the Upper & Lower State Yards and their architectural highlights. Led by an expert local English-speaking guide who will unveil incredible secrets including tales of intrigue and mystery, this tour is a "must do" for anyone interested in the history of Ireland. Enjoy and added bonus on this magnificent tour of the 13th century Castle to visit the Castle Gardens, which is the very location where the first Vikings landed in Dublin in 795 AD. Today it is a magnificent Celtic inspired landscaped lawn. (This tour does not visit the Castle Apartments)
Duration: 50 minutes
Stop At: Molly Malone Statue, In Front of the Saint Andrew's Church Tourist Office Suffolk Street, Dublin Ireland
Visit the Statue of Molly Malone and join your guide and tour group for a few lines of good Irish cheer as you sing "Cockles & Mussels" alive alive oh"s well as being known and sung internationally, the popular song 'Cockles and Mussels' has become a sort of unofficial anthem of Dublin city. The song's tragic heroine Molly Malone and her barrow have come to stand as one of the most familiar symbols of the capital.
Duration: 5 minutes
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This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: The Book of Kells and the Old Library Exhibition, College Green Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2 Ireland
Visit the 9th century Book of Kells, described in the 1007 Historical records off Ulster as 'the most precious object in the western world'. The cultural and historical value of the Book of Kells has only increased in the millennium since - this exquisite work of art has stood for 1,200 years as the greatest example of medieval illumination. This tour starts by delving into its rich ornamentation and explores its dense symbolism and meaning and its merit as an artistic masterpiece.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: The Book of Kells and the Old Library Exhibition, College Green Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2 Ireland
Visit Europe's largest vaulted library located above the Treasury where the Book of Kells is displayed. The Old Library is a “must see” on the itinerary of all visitors to Dublin. Located in the grounds of Trinity College Dublin visitors will be immersed in the 18th century, when the magnificent and extraordinary Old Library building was constructed. Your expert local guide will lead you upstairs from the Book of Kells Treasury to the magnificent Long Room which houses 200,000 of the Library’s oldest books in its oak bookcases. Your expert guide will also show you one of the few remaining original copies of the Irish Declaration of Independence as well as the 15th century copy of the 11th century Irish Warrior "Brian Boru".
Duration: 25 minutes
Stop At: Trinity College Dublin, Grafton St. College Green, Dublin 2 Ireland
After your visit to the Book of Kells and Library enjoy 10 minutes at the venues souvenir shop.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Dame St Dublin Castle, Dublin 2 Ireland
Continue on this fascinating fully guided tour to Dublin Castle, the heart of historic Dublin. Originally built in the 13th century on a site previously settled by the Vikings it functioned as a military fortress, a prison, treasury, courts of law and the seat of English Administration in Ireland for 700 years.
Rebuilt in the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, Dublin Castle awaits to enthrall all who enter her gates. On this fully guided exterior tour, see the original 13th century Record & Octagonal Towers, the Upper & Lower State Yards and their architectural highlights. Led by an expert local English-speaking guide who will unveil incredible secrets including tales of intrigue and mystery, this tour is a "must do" for anyone interested in the history of Ireland. Enjoy and added bonus on this magnificent tour of the 13th century Castle to visit the Castle Gardens, which is the very location where the first Vikings landed in Dublin in 795 AD. Today it is a magnificent Celtic inspired landscaped lawn. (This tour does not visit the Castle Apartments)
Duration: 50 minutes
Stop At: Molly Malone Statue, In Front of the Saint Andrew's Church Tourist Office Suffolk Street, Dublin Ireland
Visit the Statue of Molly Malone and join your guide and tour group for a few lines of good Irish cheer as you sing "Cockles & Mussels" alive alive oh"s well as being known and sung internationally, the popular song 'Cockles and Mussels' has become a sort of unofficial anthem of Dublin city. The song's tragic heroine Molly Malone and her barrow have come to stand as one of the most familiar symbols of the capital.
Duration: 5 minutes
Included
- Tour is led by an expert english speaking local guide
- Entry to the College Treasury to view the 9th Century Book of Kells
- Entry to the Oldest Vaulted Library in Europe
- Visit to the 16th Century Trinity College campus
- Entry to "Turning Darkness into Light" Exhibition
- Exterior tour of the13th Century Dublin Castle
- Visit to the Dublin Castle Victorian Gardens
- Visit the first 9th century Viking landing spot in Dublin
- Entry/Admission - The Book of Kells and the Old Library Exhibition
- Entry/Admission - Trinity College Dublin
- Entry/Admission - Dublin Castle
- Entry/Admission - Molly Malone Statue
- Guaranteed to skip the lines
Not included
- Transportation
- Interior visit to Dublin Castle
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Anybody under the age of 18 years must be accompanied by somebody aged 18 years or older.
- Please wear comfortable shoes as this tour involves walking, including over uneven surfaces, cobblestones, hills, inclines, declines and stairs.
- Participants should be in good health - consult first with your doctor if you have any medical condition or are not used to regular exercise.
- Near public transportation
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
Features
Tourism
90%
Cultural
85%
Original
15%
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Beautiful, inspiring and so much history! Neill was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining! Showed us some hidden gems on our walk and great advice.
Brian was both informative and humorous! Well run tour and great insight! A must to gain a better understanding of the area and gather more insight to other attractions.
We had such a special tour with Neil McCourt....he has a wealth of knowledge and a great sense of humor. Our group was the first to reach the Book of Kell’s, which set the standard for a perfect tour. I highly recommend it....and Neil especially!!
Worth the money to see Book of Kells and Long Room above it. Rest of tour of Trinity College and Dublin Castle also great. Guide, Neil, was superb.
We had a wonderful tour of the Library , The Book of Kells and the castle grounds. Our guide, Nathan, is a student at Trinity College majoring in Irish History. He was wonderful! We all felt that we learned so much about Irish history from him. Highly recommend this tour! We loved the early access especially. The line was very long when we left the library!
This was a great tour, we learned so much. Having early access to the book of Kells was definitely worth it. Furthermore, Brian Molloy was an AWESOME guide. He presented all the knowledge he has about about the history of Dublin/Ireland like storytelling, not just spewing facts. You can tell he really loves what he does. High recommend the tour.
Our tour guide Neil was the best. He was knowledgeable and funny. He was very careful not to lose anyone who was lagging behind. He even helped us find our next destination when the tour was over. I specifically went for the 8 a.m. tour so the crowds would be light which I highly recommend to everyone.
Regardless of your faith, this document is to be seen. The commitment and artistry to create this is beyond my imagination and I Have seen many illuminated manuscripts. The display is very well done and you can linger in the display. It is worth the investment to skip the lines because even the "limited" lines were LONG.
The book is impressiveness. This history as presented by the guide (Nathan) was extraordinary. Very effective teacher that had lots of stories to illuminate the sites. Sufficient time to ask questions. One of the highlights of our trip.
We went expecting a two hour early access tour of The Book of Kells and Dublin Castle. It ended up being well over 4 hours and we had to leave early as we booked something else. Wish we would of had better explanation. Overall very good with great info about the book. Lots of walking but very educational.
Early access to the Book of Kells was not available on the day we had booked due to a State visit, so this tour did impact on our day as we had to start everything later. However this was unusual so if the tour had started on time we would have no hesitation in recommending this tour!
We loved the tour. Siobhan was an Excellent tour guide. It was such a pleasure to being on this tour with such a vibrant and knowledgeable person.
Originally planned the tour to get ahead of the Book of Kells line, but ended up just a small part of it. Neil was a fantastic guide. Funny, very entertaining and informative.
Nathan , the tour guide was very knowledgeable and humerous. He was very attentive and had good insight of being a student at Trinity College. Not quite enough time inside or early enough to read information on book.
We visited the Trinity College, the Book of Kells, and Dublin Castle. Our guide Brian Molloy was very entertaining and brought Irish history to life. He told us interesting and funny anecdotes, sang ;-) and was really passionately about his city. He answered all our question patiently and made the tour a perfect start for our visit of Dublin.
The tour was amazing and very informative. Brian our tour guide was very informative and funny. Also very punctual and professional.
Excellent tour of Trinity College and viewing of book of Kells. Very shirt wait, we were first group in to view the Book. Guide was knowledgeable, informative, interesting stories and very personable. Also enjoyed the walking tour to Dublin Castle.
Inside Book of Kells exhibit is self guided unless you rent audio device. Lots to read. Don't miss tour of Trinity College. You get dropped off at Book of Kells. Go in knowing something about the exhibit.
The tour guide Phil was great for the first half of the tour, but after break to look at gift shop, I got lost from the group. They were not anywhere where Phil said to meet up. No way to contact the tour guide for the second half of the tour, and the second half of the tour I was not allowed in without the guide/group. The money was wasted. Was very upset about this. The phone/contact number for the touring company was absolutely no help, and had no idea of the tour guide or how to reach him. Bad management of company.
Very enjoyable tour. Not only see the Book of Kell’s you learn about Trinity College. The walk down to the Dublin Castle the guide took us to see Molly Malone statue, walked us thru part of Dublin pointing out good Restaurants and Bars. Allot more than is advertised by Viator.
We had a great experience. Phil did an excellent job, very knowledgeable, and made it very fun for my whole family. No waiting at all, definitely worth the money!
We took this tour with Neil. He did a wonderful job guiding the tour. We learned a lot and he was very entertaining.
The Book of Kells and the Long Room/Library at Trinity College is a must see while visiting Dublin! We explored the college the day before our tour and saw the LONG lines of tourists waiting to get in. The next morning, we were escorted to the front of the line at 930am before the exhibit opened and were the first people to see the Book of Kells and to enter the library. This, in itself, was worth the price of the ticket! Our tourguide, Phil, was full of knowledge and extremely personable throughout. In addition to the Library, Phil took us to Dublin Castle and provided us with additional insight to the history of the city. Definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Dublin!
We had a wonderful tour with Neil McCourt. He was filled with all sorts of interesting stories told with the Irish wit.
Professional and knowledge. Neil was a wealth of knowledge and humor. Definitely a must do. Great way to get in some exercise as well. Walked about 7-8 miles.
The Book of Kells is amazing! Trinity College Library has been a destination dream for me. As a book need it was breathtaking! The Long Room is one of the most beautiful libraries I have ever seen!! The smell was wonderful. The tour was fantastic! This is a must do your when in Dublin!
This was a fantastic tour: guide was on time, super knowledgable, very humorous, and really brought the Book of Kells, Library, and quick walking tour of downtown and the Dublin Castle to life. You can tell when a guide knows his stuff, enjoys the work, and really wants you to experience their town and country--this tour does this and more. And who wouldn't love the quick, easy access to the Book Of Kells as we did. Job well done. Well worth the booking in advance!
Our guide was SO fun! What a wonderful way to spend an Irish morning. Great, great tour!