Abbey of Kells to its presence at the abbey. Later in the same century, the monastery was dissolved with the abbey becoming a parish church and the Book of Kells continued to be kept there. Catholic landowners acquired the land. The Book of Kells remained at Kells until the 1650s when Cromwell's troops were stationed in the town. At that point it was sent to Dublin for safekeeping. In 1661, the Book of Kells ended up in Trinity College, Dublin where it has stayed ever since. Today, the monastic site includes a 10th-century round tower that rises around 90 feet from the original
Kells (County Kilkenny barony) and grazing lands. The Walsh Mountains are in the barony and they stretch into the barony of "barony of Knocktopher". Kells barony contains the towns of Kells and Kilmaganny, and the settlements of Baurscoob, Windgap, Dunnamaggan. The village of Kells is situated on the south side of the King’s River on its floodplain. Kells contais the civil parishes of Ballytobin, Coolaghmore, Dunnamaggan, Kells, Dunnamaggan, Kilmaganny, Kilree, Mallardstown, Stonecarthy, and Tullahought. Kells contains parts of the Roman Catholic parishes of Callan, Dunnamaggan, and Windgap. Parts of the barony were in the Poor law unions of Callan, Carrick on Suir, and Thomastown.