Experience the magic of metal, stone and manuscript art from Ireland’s Golden Age in this unique exhibition of early medieval treasures at the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare St. Explore extraordinary journeys of people, books and ideas between medieval Ireland and Europe. Immerse yourself in precious manuscripts from the Abbey of St Gall, Switzerland — some returning to Ireland for the first time in 1000 years — alongside spectacular objects from the Irish world from which they emerged.

To celebrate the loan of these amazing manuscripts, more than 100 remarkable objects from the collection of the National Museum have been gathered for display. Many are recent discoveries, on display for the first time, including the unique Lough Kinale Book-Shrine, which is unveiled following a major conservation project. Through these objects, the story of journeys to and from Europe is told, and our connectedness is celebrated.

​Marvel at fragments of the earliest surviving copy of Isidore’s Etymologiae, a veritable internet of the ancient world. It was written by an Irish scribe in the seventh century and later brought to St. Gallen, where the fragments were rediscovered in the last century. Discover evidence for ideas travelling the waves and inspiring change within and outside Ireland.

While the majority of people in early medieval Ireland could not read, they were used to seeing a range of art styles in metal, bone, stone, wood, textile and on the pages of sacred manuscripts. The language of the images mixed abstract art, animals and humans and came through the Mediterranean, Northern and Central Europe before being recast in Ireland and Britain.

Uncover the secrets of the scribes who penned poems about Viking raids, complained about writing conditions and wrote thousands of learned comments in Irish while copying a Latin grammar book, the world-famous Institutiones grammaticae of Priscian.

Unravel the early medieval journeys of Columbanus, Gall and the monks who travelled to the Alps and beyond, and discover what inspired them through objects and manuscripts

A special collaboration between the National Museum of Ireland and Stiftsbibliothek St. Gallen.

While we work on making the Museum fully accessible, we’re really glad to have found a temporary solution with our neighbours at the Houses of the Oireachtas—so visitors with mobility needs can still enjoy the Words on the Wave exhibition with ease and dignity. Step-Free access to the Words on the Wave exhibition.