Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Home
Hostname: page-component-768dbb666b-v9bzm Total loading time: 0.34 Render date: 2023-02-06T13:03:15.982Z Has data issue: true Feature Flags: { "useRatesEcommerce": false } hasContentIssue true
The Cambridge History of Irish Literature The Cambridge History of Irish Literature
Buy print or eBook[Opens in a new window]

Book contents

1 - The literature of medieval Ireland to c. 800: St Patrick to the Vikings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2008

By
Tomás Ó Cathasaigh
Edited by
Margaret Kelleher  and
Philip O'Leary
Margaret Kelleher
Affiliation:
National University of Ireland, Maynooth
Philip O'Leary
Affiliation:
Boston College, Massachusetts
Get access

Summary

Historical introduction

Literature and scholarship, in Irish and in Latin, were prized and cultivated in early Christian Ireland: what has come down to us from the years ad 600 to 800 is most impressive, in both range and quality. These early texts are the products of an intellectual elite that comprised clerical and secular scholars and authors. There were already some Christians in Ireland early in the fifth century, for in 431 Pope Celestine sent Palladius as first bishop to the Irish who believed in Christ. Since Christianity is a religion of the Book, these Irish Christians must have had individuals among them who were literate in Latin. Some degree of literacy in the Irish language was present even earlier than the fifth century. The oldest surviving records of the Irish language are inscriptions incised in stone in the ogam script. Something under four hundred of these inscriptions survive, and they generally consist of a personal name in the genitive case, accompanied, more often than not, by the name of that person’s father or other ancestor. The earliest inscriptions probably date to the fifth and sixth centuries, and some may belong to the fourth. The invention of the ogam alphabet cannot have occurred later than the fourth century, and it has been suggested that it may date to the end of the second century or the beginning of the third. We know nothing of the identity of the inventor of this alphabet, but we can be sure that he knew Latin and that his invention entailed an analysis of the Irish language.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge History of Irish Literature , pp. 9 - 31
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Purchase

Buy Book

Buy print or eBook[Opens in a new window]

References

Ahlqvist, Anders, The Early Irish Linguist: An Edition of the Canonical Part of the Auraicept na nÉces, Societas Scientiarum Fennica: Commentationes Humanarum Litterarum LXXIII 1982 (Helsinki: Societas Scientarum Fennica, 1983).Google Scholar
Ahlqvist, , Early Irish Linguist. edition by Calder, George, Auraicept na n-Éces: The Scholars’ Primer (Edinburgh: John Grant, 1917; reprinted Dublin: Four Courts, 1995).Google Scholar
Anderson, Alan Orr and Anderson, Marjorie Ogilvie, eds. Adomnán’s Life of Columba, revised by Anderson, Marjorie (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991).Google Scholar
Bieler, Ludwig, ed. The Patrician Texts in the Book of Armagh, Scriptores Latini Hiberniae X (Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1979).Google Scholar
Binchy, D. A., ‘Bretha Nemed’, Ériu 17 (1955), and ‘The Date and Provenance of Uraicecht Becc ’, Ériu 18 (1958).Google Scholar
Binchy, D. A., ‘The Background of Early Irish Literature’, Studia Hibernica 1 (1961).Google Scholar
Binchy, D. A., ed. ‘The Saga of Fergus mac Léti’, Ériu 16 (1952).Google Scholar
Bischoff, B., Latin Palaeography: Antiquity and the Middle Ages (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Breatnach, Liam, ed. ‘The Caldron of Poesy’, Ériu 32 (1981);Google Scholar
Breatnach, Liam, ed. and trans. Uraicecht na Ríar: The Poetic Grades in Early Irish Law, Early Irish Law Series II (Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1987).Google Scholar
Brian Lambkin, , ‘The Structure of the Blathmac Poems’, Studia Celtica 20/21 (1985–6).Google Scholar
Byrne, F. J., ‘Introduction’, in O’Neill, Timothy, The Irish Hand: Scribes and their Manuscripts from the Earliest Times to the Seventeenth Century with an Exemplar of Irish Scripts (Portlaoise: Dolmen Press, 1984)Google Scholar
Carey, John, The Irish National Origin-Legend: Synthetic Pseudohistory, Quiggin Pamphlets on the Sources of Medieval Gaelic History I (Cambridge: Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, University of Cambridge, 1994).Google Scholar
Carey, John, ‘On the Interrelationships of Some Cín Dromma Snechtai Texts ’, Ériu 46 (1995).Google Scholar
Carney, James, ‘The Dating of Early Verse Texts, 500–1100’, Éigse 19 (1992–3).Google Scholar
Carney, James, ‘Three Old Irish Accentual Poems’, Ériu 22 (1971).Google Scholar
Carney, James, ed. ‘Two Old Irish Poems’, Ériu 18 (1958)Google Scholar
Carney, James, ed. The Poems of Blathmac Son of Cú Brettan: Together with The Irish Gospel of Thomas and A Poem on the Virgin Mary, Irish Texts Society XLVII (Dublin:The Educational Company of Ireland, 1964)Google Scholar
Charles-Edwards, T. M., ‘The Context and Uses of Literacy in Early Christian Ireland’, in Pryce, Huw, ed. Literacy in Medieval Celtic Societies (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998).Google Scholar
Charles-Edwards, Thomas, ‘ Críth Gablach and the Law of Status’, Peritia 5 (1986).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Charles-Edwards, Thomas, ‘Language and Society among the Insular Celts 400–1000’, in Green, Miranda, ed. The Celtic World (London: Routledge, 1995).Google Scholar
Clancy, Thomas Owen and Gilbert, Markus, Iona: The Earliest Poetry of a Celtic Monastery (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1995).Google Scholar
Corthals, Johan, ed. ‘Affiliation of Children: Immathchor nAilella 7 Airt ’, Peritia 9 (1995).Google Scholar
Corthals, Johan, ed. ‘The retoiric in Aided Chonchobuir’, Ériu 40 (1989)Google Scholar
Dhonnchadha, Máirín Ní, ‘The Law of Adomnán: A Translation’, in O’Loughlin, Thomas, ed. Adomnán at Birr, ad 697: Essays in Commemoration of the Lawof the Innocents (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2001).Google Scholar
Doherty, Charles, ‘Latin Writing in Ireland (c.400–c.1200)’, in Deane, Seamus, general ed. The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing, 3 vols. Derry: Field Day, 1991, 1.Google Scholar
Greene, David, ‘Irish as a Vernacular before the Norman Invasion’, in ÓCuív, Brian, ed. A View of the Irish Language (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1969).Google Scholar
Greene, David and O’ Connor, Frank, eds. and trans. A Golden Treasury of Irish Poetry: ad 600 to 1200 (London: Macmillan, 1967).Google Scholar
Henry, P. L., ed. ‘Conailla Medb Míchuru and the Tradition of Fiacc Son of Fergus’, in Mathúna, Séamus Mac and Corráin, Ailbhe Ó, eds. Miscellanea Celtica in Memoriam Heinrich Wagner, Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, Studia Celtica Upsaliensia II (Uppsala: Uppsala University, 1997).Google Scholar
Henry, P. L., ed. ‘Verba Scáthaige’, Celtica 21 (1990).Google Scholar
Howlett, D. R., ed. The Book of Letters of Saint Patrick the Bishop (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 1994).Google Scholar
Hull, Vernam, ed. ‘Apgitir Chrábaid: The Alphabet of Piety’, Celtica 8 (1968).Google Scholar
James, F. Kenney, The Sources for the Early History of Ireland: Ecclesiastical (1929; reprinted with addenda and corrigenda, New York: Octagon Books, 1966).Google Scholar
Kelly, Fergus, ed. ‘A Poem in Praise of Columb Cille’, Ériu 24 (1973); Kelly, Fergus, ed. ‘Tiughraind Bhécáin’, Ériu 26 (1975).Google Scholar
Kelly, Fergus, ed. Audacht Morainn (Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1976).Google Scholar
Kelly, Fergus, A Guide to Early Irish Law, Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1988.Google Scholar
Kenney, James F., The Sources for the Early History of Ireland: Ecclesiastical, first printed 1929; reprinted with addenda and corrigenda, New York: Octagon Books, 1966.Google Scholar
O Daly, M., ed. Cath Maige Mucrama, Irish Texts Society L (Dublin: Irish Texts Society, 1975).Google Scholar
Mac Cana, Proinsias, ‘Early and Middle Irish Literature (c.600–1600)’, in Deane, Seamus, general ed. The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing, 3 vols. Derry: Field Day, 1991, 1.Google Scholar
Mac Cana, Proinsias, The Learned Tales of Medieval Ireland, Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1980.Google Scholar
Mac Cana, , Learned Tales, and Toner, Gregory, ‘Reconstructing the Earliest Irish Tales Lists’, Éigse 32 (2000).Google Scholar
Máire, Herbert in McNamara, M., Breatnach, C., Carey, J., Herbert, M., Kaestli, J.-D., Ó Cuív, B., Ó Fiannachta, P. and Ó Laoghaire, D., eds. Apocrypha Hiberniae I. Evangelia Infantiae, 2 vols. Corpus Christianorum Series Apocryphorum XIII and XIV (Turnhout: Brepols Publishers, 2001), xiii.Google Scholar
Mallory, J. P. and Stockman, G., eds. Ulidia, Proceedings of the First International Conference on the Ulster Cycle of Tales, Belfast: December Publications, 1994.Google Scholar
McCone, Kim, ‘The Würzburg and Milan Glosses: Our Earliest Sources of “Middle Irish”’, Ériu 36 (1985).Google Scholar
McCone, Kim, Echtrae Chonnlai and the Beginnings of Vernacular Narrative Writing in Ireland: A Critical Edition with Introduction, Notes, Bibliography and Vocabulary, Maynooth Medieval Irish Texts I (Maynooth: Department of Old and Middle Irish, National University of Ireland Maynooth, 2000).Google Scholar
McCone, Kim, Pagan Past and Christian Present in Early Irish Literature, Maynooth Monographs III (Maynooth: An Sagart, 1990).Google Scholar
McManus, Damian, A Guide to Ogam, Maynooth Monographs IV (Maynooth: An Sagart, 1991).Google Scholar
Meyer, Kuno, ed. Cáin Adamnáin: An Old-Irish Treatise on the Law of Adamnán, Andecdota Oxoniensia, Mediaeval and Modern Series 12 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905);Google Scholar
Meyer, Kuno, ed. The Death-Tales of the Ulster Heroes, Todd Lecture Series XIV (Dublin: Royal Irish Academy, 1906).Google Scholar
Murray, Kevin, ed. ‘The Finding of the Táin ’, Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies 41 (2001).Google Scholar
Ní Dhonnchadha, Máirín, ‘Mary, Eve and the Church, c.600–1800’ and ‘Eve and her Sisters, c.550–1800’, in Bourke, A., Kilfeather, S., Luddy, M., MacCurtain, M., Meaney, G., Dhonnchadha, M. Ní, O’Dowd, M. and Wills, C., eds. The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing, vol. IV and V: Irish Women’s Writing and Traditions, Cork: Cork University Press in association with Field Day, 2002, IV.Google Scholar
Ó Cathasaigh, Tomás, ‘On the Cín Dromma Snechta Version of Togail Bruidne Uí Dergae ’, Ériu 41 (1990).Google Scholar
Ó Cathasaigh, Tomás, ‘Reflections on Compert Conchobuir and Serglige Con Culainn’, in Mallory, J. P. and Stockman, G., eds. Ulidia, Proceedings of the First International Conference on the Ulster Cycle of Tales (Belfast: December Publications, 1994).Google Scholar
Ó Corráin, Donnchadh, Breatnach, Liam and Breen, Aidan, ‘The Laws of the Irish’, Peritia 3 (1984).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ó Corráin, Donnchadh, ‘Early Medieval Law, c.700–1200’, in Bourke, A. et al. eds. The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing, vol. IV and V: Irish Women’s Writing and Traditions, Cork: Cork University Press in association with Field Day, 2002, IV.Google Scholar
Ó Cuív, Brian, ‘Ireland’s Manuscript Heritage’, Éire-Ireland 19, 1 (1984).Google Scholar
Ó Néill, Pádraig P., ‘The Background to the Cambrai Homily ’, Ériu 32 (1981).Google Scholar
Ó Néill, Pádraig P., ‘The Date and Authorship of Apgitir Chrábaid: Some Internal Evidence’, in Chatháin, Próinséas Ní and Richter, Michael, eds. Irland und die Christenheit. Ireland and Christendom (Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta, 1987).Google Scholar
O’Brien, M. A., Corpus Genealogiarum Hiberniae, vol. I (Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1962).Google Scholar
ÓCuív, Brian, ‘Ireland’s Manuscript Heritage’, Éire-Ireland 19, 1 (1984).Google Scholar
Orchard, Andy, ‘“Audite Omnes Amantes”: A Hymn in Patrick’s Praise’, in David, N. Dumville with Lesley, Abrams, Charles-Edwards, T. M., Alicia Corrêa, , Dark, K. R., Maund, K. L. and Orchard, A. P. McD., Saint Patrick, ad 493–1993 (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 1993).Google Scholar
Henry, P. L., ‘The Caldron of Poesy’, Studia Celtica 14/15 (1979/80).Google Scholar
Shéaghdha, Nessa Ní, ed. ‘The Poems of Blathmhac: The “Fragmentary Quatrains”’, Celtica 23 (1999)Google Scholar
Stevenson, Jane, ‘Altus Prosatur’, Celtica 23 (1999)Google Scholar
Stokes, Whitely, ed. Félire Óengusso Céli Dé: The Martyrology of Oengus the Culdee (London: Henry Bradshaw Society, 1905).Google Scholar
Stokes, Whitley and John, Strachan, eds. Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus: A Collection of Old-Irish Glosses Scholia Prose and Verse, 2 vols. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1901–3), II.Google Scholar
Strachan, Stokes, Thesaurus, 11; Carey, John, King of Mysteries: Early Irish Religious Writings (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 1998).Google Scholar
Strachan, and Stokes, , Thesaurus, II; see Wasserschleben, F. W. H., ed. Die Irische Kanonensammlung, 2nd edn (Leipzig: Bernard Tauchnitz, 1885).Google Scholar
Thurneysen, R., ‘Colmán mac Lénéni und Senchán Torpéist’, Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie 19 (1933).Google Scholar
Ó Cathasaigh, Tomás, The Heroic Biography of Cormac mac Airt (Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1977).Google Scholar
Walker, G. S. M., ed. Sanctae Columbanae Opera, Scriptores Latini Hiberniae II (Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1970).Google Scholar
Watkins, Calvert, ‘The Etymology of Irish Dúan ’, Celtica II (1976).Google Scholar
2
Cited by

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×