Editing Book of Durrow (section)

{{Short description|Medieval illuminated manuscript gospel book}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Use Irish English|date=December 2018}}
[[File:BookDurrowInitMark86r.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|The beginning of the Gospel of Mark from the Book of Durrow]]

The '''Book of Durrow''' is an [[illuminated manuscript]]  [[gospel book]] dated to {{Circa|700}} that contains the [[Vulgate]] Latin text of the [[four Gospels]], with some Irish variations, and other matter, written in [[Insular script]], and richly illustrated in the style of [[Insular art]] with four full-page Evangelist symbols, six [[carpet page]]s, and many decorated initials.<ref name="m229">Moss (2014), p. 229</ref>

Its origin and dating has been subject to much debate. The book was probably made in Ireland, in or near [[Durrow Abbey]], [[County Offaly]], founded by Colum Cille (or [[Columba]]) in the 6th century, rather than the sometimes proposed origin of [[Kingdom of Northumbria|Northumbria]], a region that had close political and artistic ties with Ireland, and like Scotland, also venerated Colum Cille.<ref name="on14">O'Neill (2014), p. 14</ref><ref>De Paor (1977), 96</ref>There is no record of it ever having been outside of Ireland.

Historical records indicate that the book was probably at Durrow Abbey by 916, making it one of the earliest extant Insular manuscripts.<ref name="m229"/> The abbey did not survive the [[Norman invasion of Ireland]].<ref name="CathEncy">{{CathEncy|wstitle= School of Durrow |volume= 5 |last= Healy |first= John |author-link= John Healy (bishop) |year=1913|short= 1}}</ref> The book is badly damaged, and has been repaired and rebound many times over the centuries.<ref name="m229"/> Today it is in the [[Library of Trinity College Dublin]] (TCD MS 57).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://manuscripts.catalogue.tcd.ie/CalmView/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=IE+TCD+MS+57&pos=1|title=IE TCD MS 57 - Book of Durrow|website=The Library of Trinity College Dublin|access-date=14 September 2018}}</ref>