RTE on the Box & The Book of Kells

Here at Vintage Tea Trips we are committed to make Dublin the go to destination in Ireland. Of course you know that Ireland is a wonderful country full of diverse attractions, open greenways and waterways and areas of incredible historical and cultural importance, but did you know that Dublin has all of these and more?  There’s a reason why Dublin is called “surprising by nature” – There are mountains, the sea and the most beautiful coastal towns to the north and south all nestled around a wonderfully vibrant city. This week we sent our two TY Work Experience Students – Ella and Amy to visit an exciting new exhibition RTE on the Box and the Book of Kells.

I went to the RTE on the box photography expedition today, I had a really good time, it was very interesting. I really enjoyed reading about the photography around the room. My favourites would have to be a picture from a match where every inch of the stadium was filled with people, the picture from the Late Late Toy Show where a soldier was reunited with his two young kids and also the picture of Mary Robinson, where in the background, you can see the other women watching her with pride on their faces and then the majority of the men seeming uninterested. I love how these moments were captured as they all share their own stories captured in just one shot.

I then went to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. I had been to the Book of Kells before but it was with a big group and I didn’t get a lot of time so I really enjoyed it this time around where I could truly soak it all in. There was lots of information about the Book of Kells but also how it was made and how the materials were sourced.

You get to walk around a room and read all about the book but then you move onto the next room where the actual book is. It’s a dark room with a glass box where the book lies. It’s a cool set up but you can’t take any pictures so you’ll have to go to see it yourself.

The next and last section which was my favourite, it’s The Long Room which is a massive library full to the brim with shelves upon shelves of books. It’s like something from a movie, maybe Beauty and the Beast. The room had two floors with a very high ceiling. There were busts of philosophers lined down the entire length of the room, it’s definitely one of my favourite things about the trip.

While you walk through the room there’s a bunch of interesting things like the Brian Ború harp and one of twelve original copies of the 1916 Proclamation of Independence. I’d really recommend talking a trip to go see the Book of Kells.

After that it was a time for a bite to eat. It was very sunny for February (although not exactly 30 degrees) so I decided to grab a takeaway lunch and sit in Stephen’s Green. While I was eating my roll though, a seagull swooped in and took a bite out of it which I didn’t exactly appreciate, so if you were going to do the same I’d recommend covering your food.

Overall it was a really nice day I’d recommend everything I did, maybe not the seagull but the rest was really enjoyable!

— Ella