Book of Kells sustains €10m revenue hit in 2020 due to plummeting visitor numbers

Visitors plunged after the exhibition was forced to close in March 2020

Visitor numbers to the Book of Kells exhibition reduced by over 70 per cent to 296,058 in the 12 months to the end of September last.

One of the country’s most popular tourist attractions, the Book of Kells exhibition at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) last year sustained a €10m revenue hit due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The college’s Library Shop also felt the full force in plummeting numbers visiting the ancient manuscript with revenues there reducing by €4 million or 77 per cent.

The overall €14 million blow to the college’s revenues was confirmed by TCD on Friday after revealing that visitor numbers to the Book of Kells exhibition reduced by over 70 per cent to 296,058 in the 12 months to the end of September last.

A spokesperson for TCD said that revenues generated by the Book of Kells exhibition last year totalled €2.9m - a drop of €9.8 million or 77 per cent on the €12.7 million revenues generated in 2019.

The Taoiseach, Micheál Martin viewing the Book of Kells. Picture: Julien Behal

Revenues at the Library shop reduced by €4 million from €5.2 million in 2019 to €1.2 million in the months to the end of September 2020.

Pre-Covid, the Book of Kells - which remains closed currently due to Government Covid-19 restrictions - was attracting one million visitors per annum.

However, visitors plunged after the exhibition was forced to close on March 10th 2020 due to the first Covid-19 lockdown and had achieved 291,280 visitors for the year before then.

The Book of Kells reopened on a limited basis on August 10th and it closed again on September 19th last.

A combination of the restricted re-opening along with the absence of overseas visitors resulted in the exhibition only recording 4,778 patrons between August 10th and the end of last September.

The TCD spokesperson commented: “While the drop in income at the Book of Kells exhibition in 2020 was an inevitable result of the limited opening days possible over the year, we are very much looking forward to its expected reopening next month along with all the museums and galleries, albeit on a restricted basis.” The priceless Book of Kells contains the four Gospels in Latin and the manuscript’s celebrity derives largely from the impact of its lavish decoration and its artistry.

The Book of Kells has been on display in the Old Library at Trinity College from the mid 19th century.

Entrance tickets to view the Book of Kells have increased from those available in April of last year.

At that time, tickets ranged from €11 to €14 for adults, while family tickets cost €28.

Now, tickets range from €13 to €16 while family tickets now cost €32.

Last year, TCD secured planning permission for major plans for a new visitor centre for its Book of Kells exhibition and urgent works to protect its precious manuscript and research collection.

The TCD spokesperson stated that visitor numbers for the Book of Kells this year are entirely dependent on public health guidelines.