On my two previous visits to Ireland, I was delighted to visit the Book of Kells at Trinity College, Dublin. But when I stopped in on Sunday July 10, I found an improbably long queue of visitors waiting to see the most famous illuminated manuscript ever rescued from a bog. A student explained helpfully that it was cruise ship day! Clearly, this was not the day for a return visit to the Book of Kells.
Back in Dublin after a few days of travel in the countryside, I returned to Trinity College for another try. All the cruise ships were happily back at sea. The line was far more reasonable now and I got to see the stunning Book of Kells again.
The Old Library
The Long Room
Homer
Spiral staircase
Plato
Aristotle
Socrates
Sorry, but there are some things I just can't resist:
"The Princess Bride"
The Long Room's 200,000 books
Cicero, the great orator
John Locke
Boyle
Brian Boru Harp
As one proceeds down the hall, the busts of prominent men become more more obscure.
1937 Reading Room
Book of Kells official merchandise van
Campanile
Lecky
Campanile
Note: To anyone lucky enough to be in Dublin when it isn't cruise ship day I strongly recommend paying a visit to the Old Library of Trinity College and seeing the Book of Kells. Note that there are only four pages on display at any given time and a crowded room is hardly the ideal personal viewing space. Fortunately, the museum experience can be supplemented with an excellent digitalized edition here.
By chance the annual conference of the International Society for Humor Studies was held at Trinity College, Dublin about the same time I was in town. Bob Mankoff mentions the Society in the introduction to his memoir How About Never—Is Never Good for You? I can now verify that the Society is real, but I fear they were too busy deconstructing "Gilligan's Island" to seek out any new insights from the likes of me.
International Society for Humor Studies 2016 annual conference held in Trinity College, Dublin
The home page of the International Society for Humor Studies could use an update, August 28, 2016
Note: The 2017 Conference of the International Society for Humor Studies will be held July 10-14 at the University of Quebec at Montreal. Las Vegas bookies have posted million-to-one odds against my being the keynote speaker.
So far as I know, Attempted Bloggery has yet to be cited in any academic journal of any type. I'm waiting, scholars.
