History Characters / TheSecretOfKells

** When refugees approach Kells after their home is destroyed by the Northmen, Cellach doesn't hesitate to open the gate and give them shelter.

A forest fairy, related to the Tuatha De Danann, living in the woods outside of Kells.

A group of Illuminators who also live in the city of Kells and assist Abbot Cellach in building the wall.

* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Brendan.

* BreakoutCharacter: She pretty much stole the audience even with the limited screentime she had. Aisling even found her way into [[https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/50-greatest-animated-characters-2/ ranked 45 in Empire's list of 50 best animated movie characters.]] She also had the honor of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtHXICLmaW0 going to the Oscars in 2010]] when the film was nominated for Best Animated Feature.
** WordOfGod says [[http://whitefangkakashi300.deviantart.com/journal/There-and-Back-Again-387372034 here]] that Tomm Moore's thinking of doing a short film on Aisling (or Pangur Ban), but he's hesitant about it because of people's head-canons.
* BadassAdorable: Is it common to see a cute, petite albino girl lift heavy statues and turn into a fierce wolf?

* [[HolyBurnsEvil Holy Burns Pagan]]: She cannot tread upon holy ground, preventing her from aiding directly in Brendan's escape from the abbey. This is purely due to her status as a fairy, not a commentary on her moral alignment.

* BreakoutCharacter: She pretty much stole the audience even with the limited screentime she had. Aisling even found her way into [[http://www.empireonline.com/features/50-greatest-animated-characters/default.asp?film=45 Empire's list of 50 best animated movie characters]]. She also had the honor of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtHXICLmaW0 going to the Oscars in 2010]] when the film was nominated for Best Animated Feature.

* VoluntaryShapeshifting: She's able to turn into a wolf, and the very beginning implies she was once a fish.

* MeaningfulName: Aisling has a meaningful name in more than one way: not only is it an Irish girl's name meaning "dream" or "vision", it's also a kind of Irish poetry that frequently features a woman who [[AnthropomorphicPersonification represents Ireland itself]], while calling back to its previous pagan beliefs. In the film, Aisling serves the same purpose.

* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: She states outright in the opening that she's "lived through many ages", and [[spoiler:decades later, when Brendan is an adult, she looks exactly the same as she did when he was a child]].
** [[spoiler: She makes a [[https://41.media.tumblr.com/760ec1295cc641fcd1c7256dda43261e/tumblr_nk3z9sZXPV1so3spio1_1280.jpg brief cameo]] in the movie ''WesternAnimation/SongOfTheSea'', which is set in modern times, and she certainly doesn't look a thousand years older.]]

* LackOfEmpathy: When the leader reads the Book of Iona (a.k.a the Book of Kells), the book that has touched everyone who's read it (even [[ControlFreak Cellach]]), his response was to tear out the pages, throw said pages in Aidan's and Brendan's faces and walk off with the gold cover.

* BadassPreacher: BaldofAwesome, and an abbot.

* IntergenerationalFriendship: Brendan seems to be close to all the Brothers at Kells, some of them being old enough to be his grandfather.
** The biggest example would be Aidan, who takes Brendan under his wing and teaches him how to become an illuminator.

* IntergenerationalFriendship: Brendon seems to be close to all the Brothers at Kells, some of them being old enough to be his grandfather.
** The biggest example would be Aidan, who takes Brendon under his wing and teaches him how to become an illuminator.

** When Brother Tang offers him breakfast, Cellach tells him to give it to Brendon instead.
** During the siege of Kells, Cellach's first action is to find Brendon.

* ButNowIMustGo: [[spoiler: After traveling with Brendan for over ten years, Aidan eventually passes away due to his old age, but is content knowing that Brendon has finished the Book of Kells.]]
* CoolOldGuy: A lot warmer than the Abbott and becomes good friends with Brendon.

* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Brendon, who's young enough to be his grandson.

* MentorOccupationalHazard: Surprisingly averted. [[spoiler: When he and Brendon are confronted by Northmen, Aidan manages to survive the encounter thanks to Aisling scaring them away, and gets to teach Brendon the ways of being an illuminator till the day he dies.]]

** [[spoiler: She makes a [[https://41.media.tumblr.com/760ec1295cc641fcd1c7256dda43261e/tumblr_nk3z9sZXPV1so3spio1_1280.jpg brief cameo]] in the movie SongOfTheSea, which is set in modern times, and she certainly doesn't look a thousand years older.]]

* {{Adorkable}}: Brendan's a NiceGuy, but he' also utterly clumsy and suffers from AttentionDeficitOohShiny[[note]]If him day dreaming while people are talking to him is of any indication[[/note]]

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Non-villainous example. His wall was intended to keep the Northmen out, but it ended up trapping everybody in.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler: After realizing that the wall he worked so hard to build only left the people he swore to protect trapped.]]
* PapaWolf: He ''killed'' vikings to protect his nephew.

* IntergenerationalFrienship: With Brendan. Some of them are old enough to be his grandfather.

* IntergenerationalFriendship: Brandon seems to be close to all the Brothers at Kells, some of them being old enough to be his grandfather.
** The biggest example would be Aidan, who takes Brandon under his wing and teaches him how to become an illuminator.

* PetTheDog: There are several moments showing that despite his cold exterior, Cellach is not a bad person and actually has the best interests at heart.

** When Brother Tang offers him breakfast, Cellach tells him to give it to Brandon instead.
** During the siege of Kells, Cellach's first action is to find Brandon.

A master illuminator.

* ButNowIMustGo: [[spoiler: After traveling with Brendan for over ten years, Aidan eventually passes away due to his old age, but is content knowing that Brandon has finished the Book of Kells.]]
* CoolOldGuy: A lot warmer than the Abbott and becomes good friends with Brandon.

* MentorOccupationalHazard: Surprisingly averted. [[spoiler: When he and Brandon are confronted by Northmen, Aidan manages to survive the encounter thanks to Aisling scaring them away, and gets to teach Brandon the ways of being an illuminator till the day he dies.]]

[[folder:The Northmen]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/secret_of_kells_northmen.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Uncredited
The main antagonists of the story.

* IdiotBall: Holds one briefly when Aisling tries to warn him of Crom Cruach. If he doesn't believe in Crom because he's "[[ArbitrarySkepticism Pagan nonsense]]", then what's Aisling?

* {{Nephewism}}: When Brendan was very young, his parents died in a Viking attack. His mother's brother, Cellach, managed to save Brendan from the same grisly fate, and grafted him into the Abbey as a brother.

* EvilUncle: Extremely Downplayed. Even though he can be very strict towards Brandon and overly paranoid, he clearly cares about his nephew and worries about the safety of his people.

* EvilUncle: Downplayed. It's more like ''antagonistic'' uncle, rather than evil.

* CoolOldGuy: A lot warmer than the Abbott.

* MeaningfulName: Pangur-Ban is named after the oldest known poem written in the Irish language...which is about a cat with the same name.

* KindheartedCatLover: A Boy and His Cat. Forms a close bond with Pangur-Ban.

* ABoyAndHisX: A Boy and His Cat. Forms a close bond with Pangur-Ban.

* ABoyAndHisX: A Man and His Cat. Pangur-Ban was his constant companion throughout his travels.

* KindHeartedCatLover: Kind to cats and good with kids too!

A bright, imaginative and curious 12-year-old who leads a sheltered life.

-->'''Cellach''': (lying on the ground, staring at the destroyed scriptorium) I'm so tired... Tang, leave me be...Please...''Leave me be.''

* WellIntentionedExtremist: His actions aren't ideal (His actions being working his subjects from day to night and locking Brendan in his room), but his motives are good (His motives being protect Kells from [[KnightOfCerebus The Northmen]]).

* VillainOfAnotherStory: Of Aislings story. He's murdered Aisling's entire people, leaving her to be the LastOfHerKind. She even cowers in fear at the mere ''thought'' of confronting him.