Riding the Wave: A Visit to Early Irish Manuscripts at Words on the Wave in Dublin
Last month, I had the chance to visit one of the most memorable manuscript exhibitions I’ve seen in Ireland: Words on the Wave: Ireland and St. Gallen in Early Medieval Europe, currently on view at the National Museum of Ireland and running from May 30th until October 24th 2025. The heart of the show is a group of eighteen manuscripts from the Abbey Library of St. Gallen, and most of which had never made their way back to Ireland until now. For anyone who lives and breathes early medieval books, especially those made in Ireland, this was a rare and moving experience.
A view of the beginning of the exhibition.
St. Gallen’s ties to Ireland run deep. The monastery itself was founded by an Irish monk, Gallus, a disciple of Saint Columbanus, who settled in what’s now Switzerland around 612 AD. That small hermitage eventually grew into one of the great intellectual centers of medieval Europe. The Irish connection didn’t stop with Gallus either. The abbey became a major hub for Irish scribes and scholars, and the library still holds some of the earliest manuscripts linked to Irish learning and script. A few were made in Ireland, others were copied by Irish-trained scribes, and nearly all of them tell a story of how ideas, books, and culture flowed between Ireland and the Continent.
The exhibition does a brilliant job of telling that story, not just through manuscripts, but through over a hundred objects, from reliquaries and bells to croziers and sculpture. But I’ll be honest: I went for the manuscripts. That’s where my eye always goes. These were some of the earliest books ever made in Ireland, and some of the oldest still in existence anywhere. Many hadn’t been back here in over a thousand years. Seeing them in person, in Dublin, was quietly thrilling.
For me the highlights were pieces I’ve admired from afar, like the Irish Gospels of St. Gall, but there were many new discoveries many which lay in the an album of fragments on display (Cod. Sang. 1395) that includes the Peccavimus fragment, a portrait of St. Matthew, and a gorgeous carpet page with a cross packed full of interlace and birds. Also, the wonderful Gospel of St. John that was another surprise. Getting to see them in Dublin was unforgettable.
The Irish Gospels of St Gall, mid to late 8th century AD, Produced in Ireland, St. Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. Sang. 51.
Gospel of St John, early 9th century AD, produced in Ireland, St. Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. Sang. 60.
Peccavimus fragment' 9th century AD, a fragment of a manuscript produced in Ireland, St. Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. Sang. 1395, p. 426.
St Matthew with writing equipment 9th century AD, a fragment of a manuscript produced in Ireland, St. Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. Sang. 1395, p. 418.
Manuscript containing miscellaneous texts on various subjects, c. 760-790 AD, includes a table for the calculation of the date of Easter (for the years 760-778 and 779-797), produced in St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. Sang, 225, pp 118-9.
Decorated page filled with a cross Second half of the 8th or 9th century AD, a fragment from a manuscript produced in Ireland, St. Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. Sang. 1395, p. 422
One of the most meaningful surprises in Words on the Wave came at the end of the exhibition: two new manuscript books created by students in Ireland and Switzerland. As part of a collaborative project, teenagers worked with Timothy O’Neill and museum staff to learn medieval techniques—grinding pigments, making ink, and writing in script. Their folios, reflecting themes like nature, poetry, and sport, were technically impressive and emotionally resonant. I photographed several pages, unsure what will happen to these books, but moved by the thought that this centuries-old tradition is still being carried forward by young hands today.
The codex produced by students in Ireland, Co. Sligo, Co. Meath and Co. Offaly.
The codex created by students in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
More views of the folios with codex created by the Irish students.
More views of the folios with codex created by the Swiss students.
