The board of Trinity College Dublin is expected to decide tomorrow whether it will allow a volume of the Book of Kells to be borrowed and exhibited in Kells, Co Meath, for a month.
The request for one of the four volumes of the 1,200-year-old manuscript was made by Kells Urban District Council in the context of a major exhibition in its £1 million heritage centre, which has just been completed.
Earlier this year, Trinity library staff was asked to consider the technical aspects of moving the delicate volume so it could be housed in the correct conditions. "There was a whole series of environmental criteria to consider, such as light, temperature, humidity. We put forward our considerations and it is for the board to make the decision," said the deputy librarian, Mr Robin Adams.
In Kells, the council wants to stage an exhibition in the heritage centre of artefacts originally from the town but which are now in different museums, including the British Museum. Discussions and negotiations between the council and these institutions are continuing. All have indicated that it will take some time before a decision can be made.
It is understood therefore that although the Book of Kells request by the council was made originally for August next, the exhibition could now be delayed until next year.
The council hopes that five key pieces will be included for the exhibition, including the Book of Kells which has been in TCD's possession for the past 340 years and was separated into four volumes over 40 years ago.
The 6th century Cathach, the oldest extant Irish manuscript, and its 11th century metal shrine are in the keeping of the Royal Irish Academy. The casket of the Moisach of St Cairneach is at St Columba's College, Rathfarnham, Dublin. The fifth item is a crozier which has been in the possession of the British Museum since the middle of the 19th century.
TCD has previously allowed a volume of the Book of Kells to be put on display elsewhere. Earlier this year, a volume was sent to the Australian capital, Canberra . There was some controversy when it was found the manuscript had slight pigment damage which a TCD spokesman said at the time could have happened in transit due to vibration on the aircraft. It was the fourth time a volume had been lent.