Commercial announce one millionth Book of Kells visitor

Published November 9th, 2018

Fittingly, the one millionth visitor to the Book of Kells was an American. Cassie Clemans and her husband Andy, from Bend, Oregon, were in Ireland to celebrate their wedding anniversary when they decided to stop off at the Old Library and become, at the same time, its one millionth visitors. Serendipitously, the couple run their own bookshop back home in Oregon.

Tourists from the US comprise the largest group of visitors to the Book of Kells, at 36% of all guests. As well as welcoming its millionth visitor this year, the exhibition also saw an overall 9% rise in numbers compared to last year.

Thanks to the efforts of the Commercial Revenue team, the Book of Kells Exhibition has seen a continuous growth in figures over the last few years, with total visitor numbers increasing annually. This is added good news for the university, as funds generated by ticket sales go directly back into supporting the college’s academic mission of teaching and research.

In the last four years alone there has been an increase from 662,679 visitors in 2014 to one million in 2018, an increase of 50%. This has no doubt been helped by the continuous stream of high-profile visitors to the exhibit. Among those who visited this year include Prince Harry with Meghan Markle and Alanis Morissette.

Photo (L-R): Chief Operating Officer Geraldine Ruane with Andy and Cassie at the Book of Kells exhibition