A HANDCRAFTED REPLICA of the 14th-century manuscript The Red Book of Ossory was put on display today at St Canice’s Cathedral and Round Tower in Kilkenny.

The original volume, which has been on public view for a year, will be archived at the Representative Church Body (RCB) Library for a conservation ‘rest’.

The model was made by Manuscript Conservator Dr John Gillis and Calligrapher and historian Timothy O’Neill. It will now be on display as part of the exhibition exploring Medieval Kilkenny through the lens of Bishop Richard Ledrede, who wrote the book 700 years ago.

In 1324, he famously accused noblewoman Alice Kyteler of witchcraft and heresy, which led to the first witch trials in Ireland.

Rev. Stephen Farrell, Dr Susan Hood and Dr John Gillis

The manuscript contains many historical records. Four pages are outlined in the exhibit, including the earliest recorded recipe for distilling Aqua Vitae, or whiskey, a letter from King Edward III, an early provision of the Magna Carta, and poems and festive songs composed by Ledrede.

It took five months to create the replica, four pages of which will be on show to the public.

Like the original, it has sheepskin pages and a quarter-sawn oak cover.

It consists of seven ‘quires’, or collections of parchment. The text block and end bands were sewn around raw hide supports with linen, and were then covered with decorative blue and red threads.

“I’m trying to represent The Red Book in its finest form, if you like. To replicate it in what they would have intended as the end product. I’m not trying to do a ‘warts-and-all’ type of thing,” Gillis explained.

“There have been a few technical issues, things I’ve had to work out that are not typical of medieval structures, and so I’ve had to make models of the model, almost, to overcome the technical hitches.”

Achieving the bright red colour was a challenge, he said. 

“There’s no point having a Red Book of Ossory that isn’t red. So even the dyeing process was quite complex for a number of reasons.”

A series of talks, workshops and a school’s programme will accompany the exhibit over the next year.

The Red Book exhibition is free with entry to St Canice’s Cathedral and open daily from 10am.