Editing Book of Kells (section)

===Modern period===
The Book of Kells remained in Kells until 1654. In that year, [[Oliver Cromwell|Cromwell]]'s cavalry was quartered in the church at Kells, and the governor of the town sent the book to [[Dublin]] for safekeeping. [[Henry Jones (bishop)|Henry Jones]], then [[Bishop of Clogher]] and [[Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dublin]], presented the manuscript to [[Trinity College Dublin|Trinity College]] in Dublin in 1661,<ref>Gwynn (1954), p. 132</ref> and it has remained there ever since, except for brief loans to other libraries and museums. It has been on display to the public in the [[Library of Trinity College Dublin|Old Library at Trinity]] since the 19th century.

The manuscript's rise to worldwide fame began in the 19th century.  The association with St. Columba, who died the same year [[Augustine of Canterbury|Augustine]] brought Christianity and literacy to Canterbury from Rome, was used to demonstrate Ireland's cultural primacy, seemingly providing "irrefutable precedence in the debate on the relative authority of the Irish and Roman churches".<ref>De Hamel, p.133</ref> [[Queen Victoria]] and [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert]] were invited to sign the book in 1849.<ref>De Hamel, p.134.  They in fact signed a modern flyleaf which was then bound with the book. The page bearing their signatures was removed when the book was rebound in 1953.</ref> The book's artistry was influential on the [[Celtic Revival]]; several Victorian picture books of medieval illuminations featured designs from the book which were in turn extensively copied and adapted, patterns appearing in metalwork, embroidery, furniture and pottery among other crafts.<ref>De Hamel, 134-135</ref>

Over the centuries, the book has been [[Book binding|rebound]] several times. During a 19th-century rebinding, the pages were badly cropped, with small parts of some illustrations being lost. The book was also rebound in 1895, but that rebinding broke down quickly. By the late 1920s, several folios had detached completely and were kept separate from the main volume. In 1953, bookbinder [[Roger Powell (bookbinder)|Roger Powell]] rebound the manuscript in four volumes and stretched several pages that had developed bulges.<ref>Hoops, Johannes (ed.) "Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde". Walter De Gruyter Inc, September 2001, 346. {{ISBN|3-11-016950-9}}</ref><ref name="Henry152">Henry 1974, 152.</ref> One volume is always on display at Trinity, opened at either a major decorated page or a text page with smaller decorations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tcd.ie/visitors/book-of-kells/ <!--old URL redirects to tcd.ie, updated to reflect the new url--> |title=Library: The Book of Kells |publisher=Trinity College Dublin|access-date=15 September 2010   <!-- old URL redirects to tcd.ie, updated to reflect the new url --> }}</ref>

In 2000, the volume containing the [[Gospel of Mark]] was sent to [[Canberra]], Australia, for an exhibition of illuminated manuscripts. This was only the fourth time the Book of Kells had been sent abroad for exhibition. The volume suffered what has been called "minor pigment damage" while en route to Canberra. It is thought that the vibrations from the aeroplane's engines during the long flight may have caused the damage.<ref>{{cite news |title= Book of Kells is damaged |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2000/apr/15/uk.news1 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=14 April 2000 |access-date=16 June 2015 }}</ref>