• Largest ever loan of treasured manuscripts from the Abbey Library of St. Gall - many of which are contemporaries of the Books of Kells and Durrow.
• Exhibition also features more than 100 objects from the medieval world from which the manuscripts emerged – many on public display for the first time such as Ireland’s oldest book shrine, Lough Kinale Shrine, following a period of conservation at the National Museum after discovery at the bottom of a lake in Longford.
• Words on the Wave: Ireland and St. Gallen in Early Medieval Europe will be open from May 30^th until the end of October 2025– admission is free.

• Isidore’s Etymologiae —Isidore was a cleric in Spain who wrote a 20 volume encyclopedia in the 7^th century about the meaning of words. The exhibition will feature small parts of a copy written by an Irish person not long after it was first written. Considered an 'internet' of the ancient world, this is the earliest known fragment of this book in existence.
• Priscian’s Institutiones Grammaticae — a Latin grammar book unique for the thousands of scribbles in the margins by the monks in the Old Irish language. The translations of Latin into Old Irish were essential in reconstructing the heritage of our national tongue. Visitors can get a glimpse into the everyday thoughts of these monks through their doodles, witty banter, and grumbles about the Vikings, hangovers, and the quality of the ink in the margins of the manuscript. A moving poem is describing the feeling of a scribe in the woods. This was probably written in the monasteries of Nendrum or Bangor in the North of Ireland but was on the Continent within a decade of being written.
• Irish Gospels of St Gall (Cod.Sang 51) - This mid-8th-century book is one of the rarest in the world and shows the power of writing and art in Ireland during the period. The manuscript features vibrant and striking portraits of the Evangelists, vivid scenes of the Crucifixion and the earliest depiction of the Last Judgement, and intricate designs that echo Irish metalwork, stone crosses, and other illuminated manuscripts from the Irish midlands. Closely related in style and origin to the Faddan More Psalter — also on display — it reflects the spiritual, artistic, and scholarly world of early medieval Ireland
• Vellum Reliquary label- Dating to c. 700AD, this small but significant label from the Archives of the Abbey of Saint-Maurice, Switzerland, contains the earliest known written reference to St Brigid and is direct evidence for Irish pilgrims traversing the Alpine pass enroute to or from Rome.

• The Lough Kinale Book Shrine is Ireland’s oldest and largest container for a sacred book. Found broken at the bottom of a Longford Lake and conserved at the National Museum of Ireland in a complex process over many years, this is the first time it has gone on public display.
• The recently discovered Ardshanbally Brooch, found near Adare in Co Limerick, dating from the 8^th-9^th century, will also be on display for the first time.
• A Viking sword found in 2018 in the River Shannon at Limerick, on display also for the first time, is of the very type that struck fear into the hearts of an Irish scribe who wrote in one of the St. Gallen manuscripts about his relief at stormy seas, knowing the Vikings could not traverse these dangerous waters. This prestige weapon is decorated with glittering silver and copper wire.
• A leather shoe recently excavated at Mungret Co. Limerick, is of the type worn by St. Matthew as depicted in a fragment of the Abbey Library of St. Gall. New research conducted for this exhibition, confirms that this type of shoe was common in Ireland when the manuscript was illustrated.
• A coin minted in York is the first copper-alloy Northumbrian coin, and one of the earliest English pennies ever to be found in Ireland. It was discovered in 2023 during excavations in advance of a housing-development near Ballyfermot in Co. Dublin, and it thought to have arrived in Ireland in the hands of a Viking.
• The only Irish manuscript ever found in a bog—the Faddan More Psalter. Discovered in a Tipperary bog in 2006, the Faddan More Psalter’s papyrus-lined cover provides rare and direct evidence of contact between early medieval Ireland and the Mediterranean world over a thousand years ago — the first discovery of its kind not just in Ireland, but anywhere in the world.
• The Rinnagan Crucifixion Plaque from Athlone, Co. Westmeath, dating to the 8th–9th century. Made of beautifully cast bronze, it depicts the Crucifixion in a style similar to that found in the St. Gall manuscripts.

“I am so pleased to be in Ireland to open this remarkable exhibition. We’re celebrating today something truly priceless: The extraordinary legacy left by Irish monks across continental Europe. Without this Irish influence, my homeland and much of Europe would look quite different today – and undoubtably we would be poorer, culturally. I am thankful that this exhibition honours these deep connections between our countries and delighted about the partnership between the National Museum and the Abbey Library of St. Gall.”

“This exhibition is a unique opportunity to see these manuscripts in Ireland and displayed alongside a fascinating array of artefacts that reflect their contents. It’s fascinating to see that researchers today are still discovering new insights into objects over 1,000 years old, and I would like to commend the collaboration between the Museum and the Abbey Library of St. Gall, as well as with UCC and TCD, in this regard.”

“This is the most significant exhibition at the National Museum, Kildare Street in decades. We are honoured to be entrusted with such a significant loan from Abbey Library of St. Gall and to welcome President Karin Keller-Sutter to launch the exhibition.  The exhibition of the manuscripts provides a unique context for the display of artefacts from our own collection, many of which have recently been conserved and are on public display for the first time"

“In addition to the honour of hosting this exhibition, it has been wonderful to have developed and grown the collaborative relationship between the National Museum of Ireland and so many scholars and researchers across Ireland and Switzerland in the development of the project, making these incredible objects and manuscripts accessible to audiences. The new research is exciting and shows the importance of ongoing research and conservation work on our national collection leaving a crucial legacy for future generations.”

“It is wonderful to see our manuscripts in dialogue with the collection of the National Museum of Ireland. Together, they illustrate how intellectual traditions crossed borders and shaped each other through time. This exhibition is wonderful cultural collaboration honouring a shared legacy. It is a joy to see these treasures reunited in this way. A dream come true”

“There’s a persistent perception that early medieval Ireland was an isolated place. But this exhibition reveals a culture deeply curious about the world, eager to engage, learn, and contribute. These manuscripts and artefacts reflect an intellectual and artistic vigour that had an impact far beyond Ireland’s shores. By placing these manuscripts and artefacts from our national collection in conversation with each other, together with new research, this exhibition reveals just how central Irish scholars were to the development of medieval learning.”

“Working with these manuscripts has been one of the great experiences of my life. I’ve long been fascinated by them, and when the opportunity arose to collaborate with the National Museum of Ireland, I didn’t hesitate. Seeing these manuscripts return to Ireland has been very emotional. There is a transcendence to them, I almost feel as if we are touching the hand of the original scribes, looking over their shoulders, sharing in their world. That sense of connection across centuries is what makes this worthwhile. We have a strong but often overlooked manuscript tradition in Ireland, and I hope this exhibition helps rekindle public appreciation for our place in Europe’s scholarly tradition.”

“It’s been a privilege to literally ‘get under the skin’ of these manuscripts — using modern genetics - to trace the vellum back to the Irish cattle from which it was made. It’s a powerful reminder that ancient artefacts carry stories in their physical fabric and these stories that only emerge when science and history work hand in hand. This exhibition is a terrific example of interdisciplinary collaboration.”

• Photography from today’s launch will be released by Julien Behal julienbehalphotography@gmail.com  (087) 978 2542
• High-Res images are also available to download here:

• Sinéad McGovern sinead@q4pr.ie 087 6411725
• Sabrina D’Angelo sabrina@q4pr.ie 086 0323397