In 1653, Kells was in the grip of the Cromwellian wars. The town had been through years of upheaval. Charles Lambert, Earl of Cavan and Governor of Kells, sent the manuscript south to Dublin for its safety. It was not sold. It never came home.
The donation to Trinity is a later event. In 1661 — the year Henry Jones became Bishop of Meath — he gave the manuscript to the college library. Those eight years matter. Folding the gift into 1653 makes a removal for safety look like a sale, and no source describes a sale.
At no point does the historical record show consent from the people of Kells. The reason this matters today is not to assign blame to anyone alive now. Trinity College has cared for the manuscript responsibly. But Kells did not give the book away. It left during one of the most turbulent periods in Irish history, and the town has lived with that absence ever since.
Understanding 1653, and then 1661, is the beginning of understanding why this conversation is not just nostalgic — it is a question of cultural justice.