St Colmcille set to light up Kells again

Due to popular demand and following the success of the award winning 2021 event - winning the National Heritage Newcomer Award - the Colmcille Illuminations will once again bring the story of St Colmcille into life and glorious colour at 9pm, 13th- 21st August as part of the National Heritage Week programme 2022.

As dusk falls on Kells’ quaint streetscapes, experienced tour guides will take you for a wander in the footsteps of the Columban monks to discover the illuminated outdoor spaces and historical sites where each image appears in vivid colours. The guides will be your storytellers and place each image in this fabulous display into the context of life in medieval times of Colmcille, and that of his followers who came to call Kells home.

Imagine distant sounds of stonemasons carving stone, metalworkers gently moulding gold and silver creating treasures, like the Kells Crozier and the Cumhdach (Book Shrine of the Cathach)…. sense the long hours of writing and study which brought the precious manuscripts that were the jewels of the middle ages to the world.

The award winning illuminations showcases Kells connection to St Colmcille and the distinctive iconography, artwork and symbols first evident in the Cathach, a sixth century manuscript said to have been penned by Colmcille himself.

It is this magnificent artwork inspired by St. Colmcille and developed by Columban monks reaching its zenith in the Book of Kells that is central not only to the identity of Kells, but to that of Ireland. Phone Kells Courthouse, Tourism and Cultural Hub (046) 924 7508; visit www.itsplainsailing.com/club/kells or scan the QR Code.