The National Museum of Ireland’s new “Words on the Wave” exhibition features 17 early medieval manuscripts written by Irish monks on loan from Switzerland’s Abbey Library of St Gall. New scientific research confirms that four of the illuminated manuscripts were made in Ireland, emphasizing the island’s important role in shaping medieval learning across Europe. After more than a thousand years, these manuscripts have returned home.
A landmark exhibition exploring early medieval Ireland and its profound influence on Europe has opened at the National Museum of Ireland on Kildare Street in Dublin. Titled “Words on the Wave: Ireland and St Gallen in Early Medieval Europe”, the exhibition was formally launched on Thursday, 29 May, by the President of the Swiss Confederation, Karin Keller-Sutter and Ireland’s Minister for Arts, Culture, Communications, Media and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD.
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The exhibition is being hailed as a world first and features 17 manuscripts on loan from the Abbey Library of St Gall (Stiftsbibliothek) – a 7th-century UNESCO World Heritage site that holds one of the most important collections of early medieval manuscripts. The Swiss city of St Gallen takes its name from the Irish monk St Gall (Gallus), who established a hermitage there in the early 7th century.
This is the largest ever loan of these manuscripts, many of which are contemporaries of the Book of Kells and the Book of Durrow.
New scientific findings
New scientific research commissioned by the National Museum for the exhibition has confirmed for the first time that four of the most elaborately decorated manuscripts in the St Gall collection – the Irish Gospels of St Gall (Cod. Sang. 51), the Gospel of St John (Cod. Sang. 60) and two illuminated fragments of Cod. Sang. 1395 – were produced in Ireland using the hides of Irish cattle.
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While the role of Irish monks in writing these manuscripts has long been known, this research indicates that the manuscripts themselves travelled from Ireland with the monks to the continent. The books are, therefore, returning to Ireland for the first time in over a thousand years.
The findings are the result of advanced analysis techniques, including surface DNA testing, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and multispectral imaging in both ultraviolet and infrared spectrums. Researchers from University College Cork’s Inks and Skins project identified elemental components of the inks, pigments and parchment – many of which are not visible to the naked eye.
The analysis showed that the manuscripts were written with iron gall ink made from wasp nests in oak trees – a distinctive and well-known feature of Irish manuscript production in the early medieval period. The way the animal skins were prepared, along with the presence of chemicals like sulphur and potassium, also matches known Irish techniques for making parchment. The team collected surface DNA samples from the manuscripts and used a technique called Principal Component Analysis to cross-reference the results with a genetic database of ancient and modern cattle in Europe to identify the genomes of the cattle used for the skins.
Geneticists at Trinity College Dublin confirmed the Irish origin of the cattle using a novel, non-invasive DNA extraction process. The technique gently removes DNA using a rubber eraser, leaving the manuscripts unharmed.
Professor Daniel Bradley, Trinity College Dublin School of Genetics, commented:
“It’s a powerful reminder that ancient artefacts carry stories in their physical fabric and these stories only emerge when science and history work hand in hand. This exhibition is a terrific example of interdisciplinary collaboration.”
The manuscripts
Among the 17 manuscripts on display at the National Museum is the Irish Gospels of St Gall (Cod. Sang. 51), dating to the mid-8th century. It includes some of the earliest depictions of the Last Judgement, as well as vibrant portraits of the Evangelists and the Crucifixion, along with intricate designs that echo other early Irish illuminated manuscripts and carvings found on high crosses and metalwork. It also draws parallels with the 9th-century Faddan More Psalter, which is also on display.
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Another exhibition highlight is the earliest known surviving fragment of a copy of Etymologiae, made by an Irish scribe shortly after the original 20-volume encyclopaedia about the meaning of words was written in 7th-century Spain by Isidore, bishop of Seville.
Also on display is Priscian’s Institutiones Grammaticae (Cod. Sang. 904), a Latin grammar book filled with Old Irish scribbles and doodles in the margins – including witty banter and moanings about Vikings, the weather and poor-quality ink. It was probably written at the monastery of Nendrum or Bangor in the north of Ireland and had reached the continent within a decade of being written.
Another highlight is a small vellum reliquary label dating to c.700 AD from the Archives of the Abbey of Saint-Maurice in Switzerland. It carries the earliest known written reference to St Brigid and is direct evidence of Irish pilgrims crossing the Alpine Pass on their way to Rome.
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In the early centuries of the early medieval period, Irish monks like St Gall – a disciple of St Columbanus – ventured to Europe seeking refuge, learning and to spread the Christian faith. It was not only the movement of people but also the exchange of ideas and artistic traditions that connected the small island of Ireland to a much larger continent.
President of the Swiss Confederation, Karin Keller-Sutter, whose home canton is St Gallen, said,
“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.”
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More medieval artefacts on display
Also featured in this unique exhibition are over 100 medieval artefacts from the museum’s national collection, many never displayed before and accompanied by new research and recent radiocarbon dating results.
These include Ireland’s oldest surviving book shrine, the Lough Kinale Shrine, found at the bottom of a lake in Co. Longford and conserved over many years by the National Museum and now on display for the first time.
Other early medieval artefacts on view include the 8th/9th-century Ardshanbally Brooch, found near Adare in Co. Limerick, a Viking sword recovered from the River Shannon, the 8th/9th-century Rinnagan cast-bronze crucifixion plaque from Athlone in Co. Westmeath and a leather shoe excavated at Mungret in Co. Limerick, which resembles those depicted in manuscript illustrations of St Matthew.
Matthew Seaver, Assistant Keeper of Irish Antiquities at the National Museum and curator of the exhibition, said,
“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.”
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Schools project
A schools project linked to the exhibition brought together pupils from Irish and Swiss second-level schools. Guided by calligraphy expert Tim O’Neill and museum staff, they created their own manuscripts using early medieval techniques to make dyes and materials. Their work now features in the exhibition.
Visitor info
Admission to the Words on the Wave: Ireland and St Gallen in Early Medieval Europe exhibition, which runs until 24 October 2025, is free. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to see these extraordinary Irish manuscripts back on home soil for the first time in over a thousand years.
A summer programme of talks, tours and workshops for all ages is running alongside the exhibition, offering a hands-on introduction to early medieval manuscripts, calligraphy and artefacts. View the full events programme on the National Museum of Ireland website here.
Step-free access to the exhibition is available via a pre-booked alternative route through the Houses of the Oireachtas for visitors with mobility needs. Click here for more information and to request access.
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