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The Books of Kells has some company as Trinity unveils four priceless manuscripts

The Garland of Howth, the Book of Dimma, the Book of Mulling and the Codex Usserianius Primus will now be shown for the first time.

fig 45 Dimma Trinity Library Trinity Library

FOUR PRECIOUS, AND priceless, manuscripts dating back to the Dark Ages will be unveiled at Trinity College today, after a three-year project to conserve them.

The Garland of Howth, the Book of Dimma, the Book of Mulling and the Codex Usserianius Primus have been repaired, analysed and digitised and are now ready to go on public display for the first time.

Former President Mary Robinson will unveil the early Christian manuscripts today at a special ceremony.

The manuscripts themselves date from as early as the fifth century, and scholars say they reveal the secrets of Ireland’s earliest painters.

The Codex, for example, is one of Ireland’s earliest known surviving manuscripts. It is an incomplete copy of the four Gospels on parchment. It is not known how, but it came into the possession of the Trinity Library in the 17th century.

captrue 4 Trinity Library Trinity Library

Its script suggests that it may have been written in a monastery on the continent, but there are annotations in early Irish which show it was in Ireland from an early date.

Restoring the manuscripts to a level that would make them fit for public viewing was a “painstaking process”, scholars said.

They have now been digitised so will be available to view online, or can be viewed on a rotational basis at the Book of Kells museum.

fig 16 Howth XRF Trinity Library Trinity Library

College librarian and archivist, Helen Shenton, said: “We hope it will enable further research of the manuscripts’ unique artistry, texts and intriguing histories.

Since their creation the manuscripts have had limited accessibility and now, almost thirteen centuries later, these national treasures are finally publicly available for all to study, scrutinise and simply enjoy.

The restoration was supported by Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s global Art Conservation project.

Read: ‘DCU had to be a university that could take in young people from the local areas’

Read: Simon Harris says Ireland’s blasphemy laws are ‘silly’ and ‘embarrassing’

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    Mute TOP CAT
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    Apr 22nd 2014, 7:51 AM

    I hope the Dog is ok???.
    I presume he was given a Tetanus shot after biting them $cum….

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    Mute Debi-Nikita Rathbone-Rentzke
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    Apr 22nd 2014, 8:24 AM

    That’s what these dogs are trained to do in unruly situations. Protecting their handlers is a natural instinct and to do the job that they are trained to do.
    I hope that the dog isn’t punished and put down or carted off to some unknown place and used as a ‘guard dog’ to patrol some dump!

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    Mute Vera Dawber Power
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    Apr 22nd 2014, 8:14 AM

    ‘ Atta Boy….good doggie. LOL .

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    Mute Brian Bass
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    Apr 22nd 2014, 8:05 AM

    Ruff day at the office

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    Mute The Animal
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    Apr 22nd 2014, 8:12 AM

    Bite first…. Ask questions later….!

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    Mute Joe Hill
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    Apr 22nd 2014, 8:56 AM

    Imagine what the poor staff are subjected to on occasions like that reported. Maybe they should all be issued with a police dog?

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    Mute Paul Devlin
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    Apr 22nd 2014, 10:38 AM

    People in the south don’t know how lucky they are not having to deal with thousands of these marches every year. Fascist nutjobs and their pisshead hangers on cause chaos everywhere they go and everyone has to put up with it because it’s supposed to be traditional. These people are less than 10% of the population but they hold everyone else hostage. Total joke!

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    Mute Roland 303
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    Apr 22nd 2014, 11:32 AM

    Flegs and marches and buckfast and drugs. Sure it’s their TRADITION!!!

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    Mute CPC7
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    Apr 22nd 2014, 8:35 AM

    ‘Dog bites man’, not a story. ‘Man bites dog’, now that would be a story…

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    Mute Brian Keelty
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    Apr 22nd 2014, 11:48 AM

    “Man bites dog” is a film…… dark dark film

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    Mute Caolán McKenna
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    Apr 22nd 2014, 10:02 AM

    Incidentally the media are not mentioning that yesterday was the ‘start’ of the marching season, so thousands of drunken loyalists were probably roaming the streets. And I love when they say the start of the season as if we ever get even a month’s break from the drivel.

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    Mute ipsum oleum
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    Apr 22nd 2014, 10:11 AM

    Is the incident out on video yet ? Its always so disappointing when you see police dogs in action on TV and they aren’t allowed to bite the bum off a crim.

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    Mute John Ward
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    Apr 22nd 2014, 10:05 AM

    A snap decision, I presume!

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    Mute AICS (Steve Tracey)
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    Apr 22nd 2014, 5:46 PM

    The only real question is were those bitten taking part in the disorder or just caught up at the start and hadn’t time or opportunity to get away. If first then good, it’s not a news item. If the latter then possibly questions should be asked ref the control the handler had on his/her dog.
    Be very surprised if they were innocent as generally muzzles don’t come off until its clear that innocents are cleat and dogs are kept close to the handler and a distance away.

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    Mute Frank
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    Apr 22nd 2014, 10:00 AM

    II hope they sue the police for damages.

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