Of the many Celtic Rennaissance artists working in America today, perhaps no one has come closer to reviving the art of the 8th century Irish monk than Celtic illuminator Michael Carroll.  Michael has spent decades researching and experimenting with the ancient methods and tools, gaining an intimate knowledge of the sublime decorated gospel pages of the Book of Kells.

"While most people look at the Book of Kells, I practically live and breathe the Book of Kells..."

Born and bred on the Southwest Side of Chicago, Michael studied for the priesthood at Quigley South and Niles College before receiving his BA in studio art from Loyola University of Chicago. At Loyola, he was lucky enough to be among the last students of the late Prof. Margaret Dagenais, founder of the Fine Arts Dept, and one of the finest American calligraphers and illuminators. It was Dagenais who first introduced him to Celtic Art and the work of George Bain, though this seed would take some time to bloom. Opting for an art career rather than the ministry, Carroll worked as a freelance artist for many years before returning to Bain, and realizing the possibility of reviving the art of the Celtic monks. Determined not to copy the ancients’ work but instead produce only original designs, he embarked on a seven year self-apprenticeship to learn their historical methods of construction. In 1998 he first released his artwork to the public with the launch of his website www.mccelticdesign.com.

The following year he joined artists Cynthia Matyi, Steven O'Loughlin, Patrick Gallagher and Jen Delyth as a founding member of American Celtic, the first major group exhibition of Celtic art in the United States. They first toured the US from 2000 to 2006, and again in 2010-2013 for their tenth anniversary. Michael's work was also featured in London at the 2001 UK exhibit Celtic Art: An Exhibition of the Artform.  In 2015 Carroll received the IBAM Visual Arts Award (Irish Books, Arts and Music), and since 2018 has served as Celtic Art instructor at the Irish American Heritage Center in Chicago. He has also taught calligraphy and knotwork at the LaGrange Art League in LaGrange IL. Retrospective exhibitions of Carroll’s work include “Enlightenment” in 2014 at the Irish American Heritage Center in Chicago, and a solo exhibit at the 2019 Iowa Irish Festival.

Carroll’s illuminated manuscript pages have been noted by scholars in the field of Celtic/Insular Studies. In recent years while teaching Celtic Art he has also been working with academics, in hopes of a better understanding and wider awareness of the ancient methods. In June 2019, Michael presented a lecture and workshop on key pattern construction to scholars and artists attending the first Conference of the International Day of Celtic Art, held in Andover NY. In 2023 he delivered a lecture on the historical development of Insular key pattern at the Second IDCA Conference at the St. Patrick Centre in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland. Plans for future conferences are pending.

 Michael is happily married to fellow artist Shannon Carroll, and lives and works from his home studio in the suburbs of Chicago. He is an amateur musician, playing blues piano and harmonica, as well as experimenting with odd assorted instruments such as folk harp, slide guitar and tin whistle.  

An author and family genealogist, in 2009 Carroll published Railroad Man, an historical biography of his grandfather, followed by two collections of personal memoirs: Meehall and The Trouble With Meehall. Michael’s first instructional book on Celtic art, Knotwork By Hand and Eye, was published in October 2022 and is available at Amazon.com.