Welcome to my weekly blog, SATURDAY SESSIONS!

          Readers have been asking me about the Breaking News last week; I'll be happy to answer any more questions about it - if I can!

          One or two Readers have asked me if I could attach the text only from now on in the weekly extract for students of Bluefeather, past, present and future - instead of the text with analysis as per the Course in Dublin.  It's easier to read without the distractions, they tell me! 

          Your wish is my command!

          This week it's an excerpt from our Log on Trinity College, focusing on The Book of Kells!

          The book took about thirty years to write. So what is it about?

          Basically, it is a copy of the four gospels of the New Testament in Latin. Because the letters and pictures and beautiful Celtic spirals are so colourful, we call it an illuminated manuscript. There are only a few of these amazing books left in the country and this one is the most beautiful.

          When the Vikings invaded in the eighth century, they attacked the monasteries for gold and silver and took the women and children to sell in the slave markets. Whenever they found an illuminated manuscript, they removed the wooden cover which had precious stones in it - but then they destroyed the book itself because they thought the writing was a magic spell that would harm them!  

          As it was written in Vulgate (spoken) Latin, it's not easy to follow for people who may have studied Latin at school. The Irish monks were the first in the world to separate words on the page. Up to then, writing had been in scriptum continuum;  a whole line consisted of words stuck together so the reader had to separate them mentally while reading.

          There is an interesting introductory exhibition, explaining the background to the Book of Kells. The book itself is now divided into two parts, the writing and the pictures. People have different ways of looking at the Book of Kells. The vibrant colours of its Celtic art is a pleasure to see. All the animals, birds and even fish that populate the book, show us that the monks enjoyed themselves while they were making this book but above all, the book was a reflection of the beauty of life and of the world. These monks were not so keen on the closed, stricter form of Mediterranean art. They preferred fantasy to realism. A lot of the art-work is so intricate that it is difficult to see with the naked eye.

          The message itself didn't seem to be so important!   For example, in the Vatican, serious-looking bishops would give themselves a hard time debating what might happen if a mouse slipped into the church and ate a consecrated host. In the Book of Kells, the Irish monks had a good laugh at this problem when they painted two mice fighting for the possession of a big host in their mouths; or painted a mouse running off with a host under the nose of a cat!

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