The National Museum of Ireland has unveiled a new exhibition featuring 17 ancient manuscripts with doodles nearly 1,300 years old, written by Irish monks from the 850s. These doodles, found in the margins of manuscripts from Switzerland’s Abbey Library of St. Gall, provide rare insights into the daily lives of medieval monastic communities. The exhibition, titled ‘Words on the Wave: Ireland and St. Gallen in Early Medieval Europe,’ is currently on display at the museum’s Kildare Street location in Dublin, running until October 24.
The exhibition includes over 100 historical objects, offering visitors a unique opportunity to engage with artifacts that span centuries of history. Among the highlights are an 8th-century brooch, a Viking sword, and the Lough Kinale Book Shrine, Ireland’s oldest known container of sacred books. The museum has also highlighted recent conservation efforts, noting that several of the artifacts from its collection have been recently restored and are now publicly displayed for the first time.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the exhibition is the Priscian’s Institutiones Grammaticae, a manuscript in Old Irish containing thousands of scribbles made by monks from the 850s. These margin notes, as revealed by museum curators, reveal a mix of humor, frustration, and candid reflections from the monks. Some of the scribbles include complaints about poor-quality materials, cold weather, and even humor about Viking raids.
For instance, one monk wrote, ‘Ale-killed,’ a term used to describe a hangover, while another noted, ‘New parchment, bad ink. O I say nothing more.’ Another entry expressed concern over a Viking raid, describing the situation with a vivid metaphor: ‘Bitter is the wind tonight, it tosses the ocean’s white hair: I fear not the coursing of a clear sea by the fierce heroes from Lothlend.’
Curator Matthew Seaver shared these intriguing findings with The Guardian, describing the scribbles as ‘full of human voices, humor, frustration and resilience.’ He emphasized that the writings offer a rare and very real glimpse into the daily lives and personalities of early medieval Irish monks. The museum’s chair, Cathal O’Donoghue, described the exhibition as ‘the most significant at the National Museum, Kildare Street in decades,’ highlighting the importance of the loan from the Abbey Library of St. Gall. The museum also announced that free admission is available for all visitors, making the exhibition accessible to a broad audience.
In addition to the manuscripts, the exhibition also features other artifacts that provide a broader context for understanding medieval Ireland and its connections with Europe. The combination of these historical objects not only enriches the visitor experience but also underscores the value of cultural heritage in connecting the past with the present.
Free admission is available for all visitors, and the museum continues to emphasize the importance of such exhibitions in promoting historical awareness and appreciation. The exhibition’s diverse range of artifacts, from medieval manuscripts to Viking weapons, highlights the complexity and richness of early medieval Ireland, offering a unique opportunity to explore a fascinating chapter in the country’s history.