In this episode, we are joined by Dr Chantal Kobel (Department of Early Irish, Maynooth University) to chat all about medieval Irish manuscripts (literally documents written by hand) and the various specialists skills and tools needed to read these precious historical sources. From palaeography (the study of old handwriting and writing systems) to codicology (study of the actual books) we learn about how manuscripts were physically made (trigger warning, it gets a little gruesome!), what they feel like, why so few survive, where you can see them for yourselves (online or Royal Irish Academy!), whether some more could be discovered, and whether any were written by women. Some notable mentions: Faddan More Psalter, Rawlinson B502 (Book of Glendalough?), Book of Armagh, Aided Chonchobair ‘The violent death of Conchobar.

Suggested resources:

Irish Script on Screen (ISOS): www.isos.dias.ie Manuscripts with Irish Associations (MIra): http://www.mira.ie/

e-Codices: https://www.e-codices.unifr.ch/en

John Gillis, The Faddan More Psalter: The Discovery and Conservation of a Medieval Treasure (Dublin, 2021).

Richard Sharpe, ‘Books from Ireland, fifth to ninth centuries’, Peritia 21 (2010), 1–55.

Donnchadh Ó Corráin, ‘What happened Ireland’s medieval manuscripts?’, Peritia 22-23 (2011–2012), 191–223.

Charles Plummer, ‘On the colophons and marginalia of Irish scribes’, Proceedings of the British Academy 12 (1926), 11–44.

Chantal Kobel, “A critical edition of Aided Chonchobair ‘The violent death of Conchobar’: with translation, textual notes and bibliography”, PhD thesis, Trinity College Dublin, Department of Irish and Celtic Studies, 2015.

Regular episodes every two weeks (on a Friday).

Email: medievalirishhistory@gmail.com

X (formerly Twitter): @EarlyIrishPod

Supported by the Dept of Early Irish, Maynooth University, & Taighde Éireann (formerly Science Foundation Ireland/Irish Research Council).

Views expressed are the speakers' own.

Production: Tiago de Oliveira Veloso Silva.

Logo design: Matheus de Paula Costa

Music: Lexin_Music

This week we chat to Anthony Candon about one of the greatest men in Irish history — Muirchertach Ua Briain (c.1050–1119), king of Munster, arguably king of all Ireland, and great-grandson of Brian Bóru. Tony tells us all about Muirchertach's reputation as a great military leader, his influence on the Irish Church, his international status outside of Ireland, the astute marriage alliances he brokered for his daughters with famous Norwegian king Magnus Barelegs and Arnulf de Montgomery, brother of Robert de Bellême, earl of Shrewsbury. We also chat how appropriate a camel is as a diplomatic gift, the Rock of Cashel and decapitated head trophies in medieval Irish warfare.

You can find Anthony Candon's published articles on academia.edu

Suggested reading:

Anthony Candon, “Power, politics and polygamy: women and marriage in late pre-Norman Ireland”, in: Damian Bracken, and Dagmar Ó Riain-Raedel (eds), Ireland and Europe in the twelfth century: reform and renewal (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2006) 06–127

Anthony Candon, ‘Muirchertach Ua Briain, politics and naval activity in the Irish Sea, 1075 to 1119’, Gearóid Mac Niocaill and Patrick F. Wallace (ed.), Keimelia: studies in medieval archaeology and history in memory of Tom Delaney (1987), 397–415

Anthony Candon, ‘Barefaced effrontery: secular and ecclesiastical politics in early twelfth-century Ireland’, Seanchas Ard Mhacha, xiv, no. 2 (1991), 1–25

For the 12th century Church see Marie Therese Flanagan, The transformation of the Irish church in the twelfth century (Woodbridge, 2013).

For the Rock of Cashel listen to Dr Patrick Gleeson on the Amplify Archaeology Podcast https://open.spotify.com/episode/63Sv8kZNbP12NT4HoRAgUp?si=1dda663e986b4e53

Regular episodes every two weeks (on a Friday).

Email: medievalirishhistory@gmail.com

X (formerly Twitter): @EarlyIrishPod

Supported by the Dept of Early Irish, Maynooth University, & Taighde Éireann (formerly Science Foundation Ireland/Irish Research Council).

Views expressed are the speakers' own.

Production: Tiago de Oliveira Veloso Silva.

Logo design: Matheus de Paula Costa

Music: Lexin_Music

Welcome back to the second season of The Medieval Irish History Podcast!

We are very excited to be back with you all! Today, in our very first episode of the new season, we are back with Dr Elizabeth Boyle to talk little bit about Early Irish Literature. You have probably heard about some key figures of medieval Irish literature, such as Cú Chulainn and Queen Medb from Táin Bó Cúailnge, but how can we as historians (or interested readers) interpret these sagas? Are they myths that provide a window into Ireland's past or are they the result of a cleric's fertile imagination?

Suggested reading:

– For translations of a selection of Irish saga narratives see Jeffrey Gantz, Early Irish Myths and Sagas (Penguin, 1981) but please disregard the outdated introduction.

– Ann Dooley, Playing the Hero: Reading the Irish Saga Táin Bó Cúailnge (Toronto, 2006)

– Elizabeth Boyle, Fierce Appetites (Dublin and London, 2022)

– Elizabeth Boyle, 'Early Medieval Perspectives on Pre-Christian Traditions in the Celtic World' In: Prognostication in the Medieval World: A Handbook (Berlin, 2020).

– Gregory Toner, ‘Wise Women and Wanton Warriors in Early Irish Literature’ in Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium, xxx (2010), pp 259–27

– Angela Bourke et al (eds), The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing Volume IV: Irish Women’s Writings and Traditions (Cork 2002)

– Thomas Owen Clancy, ‘Women poets in early medieval Ireland’, in C. E. Meek & M. K. Simms (eds), The Fragility of her Sex? Medieval Irish Women in their European Context (Dublin, 1996), pp. 43–72