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| Book of Kells, Folio 27v, with the four evangelists: (Clockwise from top left): a man (Matthew), a lion (Mark), an eagle (John) and an ox (Luke). Public Domain via Wikipedia |
Designed by academics from the School of Histories and Humanities, the School of Religion and staff from the Library, it uses the Book of Kells as a means to explore the landscape, history, theology, and politics of early medieval Ireland and examine how that past is understood in modern Ireland.
The ninth-century Book of Kells, with its lavishly decorated pages retelling (in Latin) the four gospels, is one of Ireland’s greatest cultural treasures. The quality of the book's artwork and the number of illustrations that run throughout its 680 pages set it apart from other manuscripts dating from the same period.
The Book of Kells: Exploring an Irish Medieval Masterpiece course will be run in partnership with FutureLearn, The Open University's online learning platform, and will give members of the public the opportunity to learn more about this precious manuscript through a four-week course.
The course, which starts on Monday 8 October, is aimed at anyone with an interest in Ireland, medieval studies, history, art, religion and popular culture.