Humanities Series

The Royal Irish Academy Library holds the world’s largest collection of Irish language manuscripts. Many of the late medieval and early modern Irish manuscripts preserved in the collections were long associated with particular learned families in Gaelic Ireland. The scholars who compiled these manuscripts produced fascinating cultural artefacts that are the key to understanding Gaelic scholarship and culture in the past. The manuscripts range across the full spectrum of medieval scholarship, with examples surviving of the work of members of the Gaelic learned class who specialised in law, medicine, history and poetry. Many of these same scholars also transcribed religious poems and texts, religious belief being integral to their world. Some of the most important manuscripts are miscellanies ─ the Book of Ballymote, the Book of Lecan, and the Book of Uí Mhaine ─ their contents reflecting many varied strands of medieval Gaelic learning. Behind every manuscript in the Academy collection lie the very real peop

RIA Library Lunchtime Lecture: ‘Ruaidhri Ó Flaithbheartaigh through his letters: a learned Gaelic chief and his Oxford friend in 1700’. Dr Richard Sharpe Wednesday, 12 June, 1-2 p.m., Academy House Dr Richard Sharpe, Professor of Diplomatic at Oxford and author of Roderick O’Flaherty’s letters 1696-1709 (RIA, 2013): www.ria.ie Disclaimer: The Royal Irish Academy has prepared the content of this website responsibly and carefully, but disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information contained in any of the materials. The views expressed are the authors’ own and not those of the Royal Irish Academy.

Clare Island Abbey and it's Paintings Conleth Manning Conleth Manning speaks about Clare Island Abbey and its magnificent wall paintings - a very rare, intriguing and charming example of an Irish medieval painted church interior. Conleth Manning studied Archaeology and Early Irish History at UCD, where he also did an MA in Archaeology. He is a senior archaeologist in the National Monuments Service, Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. He has studied and directed excavations at many national monuments in Ireland, including Cashel, Clonmacnoise, Dublin Castle, Roscrea Castle and Glanworth Castle and has written and lectured on many aspects of Ireland's archaeological heritage. Conleth Manning is co-editor of two volumes in the New Survey of Clare Island Series: New Survey of Clare Island Volume 4: The Abbey and New Survey of Clare Island Volume 5: Archaeology. He is a past president of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. Mr Manning is Secretary of the New Survey of Clare Isla

Academy Discourse - Biographies and the Biographer's Task Professor Hermione Lee, CBE Friday, 7 October 2011, 6pm, Academy House Hermione Lee's previous books include biographical studies Elizabeth Bowen and Willa Cather, the internationally acclaimed biography Virginia Woolf, and Edith Wharton, long-listed for the Samuel Johnson Prize. She is a well-known reviewer and broadcaster, and, in 2006, Chair of the judges for the Man Booker Prize. She is the first woman Goldsmiths' Professor of English at Oxford University, a Fellow of New College, Oxford, of the British Academy and of the Royal Society of Literature. She was awarded a CBE in 2003 for services to literature. www.ria.ie Disclaimer: The Royal Irish Academy has prepared the content of this website responsibly and carefully, but disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information contained in any of the materials. The views expressed are the authors’ own and not those of the Royal Irish Academy.

Academy Discourse - God and Sex - What the Bible Really Says Professor Michael Coogan, Director of Publications for the Harvard Semitic Museum and Lecturer on Old Testament/Hebrew Bible at Harvard Divinity School Thursday, 16 February 2012, Academy House Opposing sides on abortion, same-sex marriage, and other so-called “family values” often appeal to the Bible in support of their contradictory positions, as though the Bible were an authority beyond question. But the Bible speaks with many voices, not one, and some of its values are no longer ours. A close look at the story of David and Bathsheba, one of the most famous and most ambiguous biblical narratives, will illustrate these issues. www.ria.ie Disclaimer: The Royal Irish Academy has prepared the content of this website responsibly and carefully, but disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information contained in any of the materials. The views expressed are the authors’ own and not those of the Royal Irish Academy.

Academy Discourse - Count Dracula and Bram Stoker Terry Eagleton Wednesday, 19 April 2012, Academy House Terry Eagleton was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. He has been a Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge and was formerly Thomas Warton Professor of English in the University of Oxford. He is presently Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Universities of Lancaster and Notre Dame, and a Fellow of the British Academy. He is the author of over forty works of literary, cultural and political criticism, which include studies of Irish history and culture such as Heathcliff and the Great Hunger. He has also written plays which have been staged in Ireland and Britain, including Saint Oscar, and a novel about Ireland entitled Saints and Scholars. The lecture considered Bram Stoker’s Dracula in the context of some traditional notions of evil, including the very different presentation of the idea of evil in Flann O’Brien’s The Third Policeman. It also raised the question of Stoker’s Irish Protestant backgroun

The Isle is Full of Noises Seamus Heaney in Conversation with Olivia O'Leary Thursday, 2 February 2012, St. Ann's Church On the 2nd of February the Royal Irish Academy Committee for Literatures in English hosted a public interview with Seamus Heaney and Olivia O’Leary in St. Ann’s Church Dawson Street. The interview opened a two day event run by the RIA entitled ‘Voices in the Ether: Irish Writing on the Radio’ and was attended by around 270 people. www.ria.ie Disclaimer: The Royal Irish Academy has prepared the content of this website responsibly and carefully, but disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information contained in any of the materials. The views expressed are the authors’ own and not those of the Royal Irish Academy.

Humanities: Academy Discourse - Maria Edgeworth, Edmund Burke & the First Irish Ulysses Professor James Chandler, University of Chicago Friday, 22 June 2012, 6pm, Academy House James Chandler is the director of the Franke Institute for the Humanities and holds the Barbara E. & Richard J. Franke Professorship in English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago. He is the author of two books on English Romanticism: Wordsworth's Second Nature (1994) and England in 1819: The Politics of Literary Culture and the Case of Romantic Historicism, which won the 2000 Gordon J. Laing Award for distinction in academic publishing. www.ria.ie Disclaimer: The Royal Irish Academy has prepared the content of this website responsibly and carefully, but disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information contained in any of the materials. The views expressed are the authors’ own and not those of the Royal Irish Academy.

Academy Lecture: The Role of the Literary Reviewer - Professor Linda Hutcheon Chair: Professor Eve Patten Addtional: Denis Staunton Respondent: Professor Terence Brown Thursday, 21 March 2013 at 6:30pm in Academy House Professor Linda Hutcheon, Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of Toronto gives a public lecture on the role of the literary reviewer. This event was a tribute to the important legacy of Caroline Walsh, literary editor of the Irish Times and a valued member of the academy’s committee for literatures in English. This lecture will consider the role of the literary reviewer as a gatekeeper or arbiter within literary culture and on the vital influence of reviewing for the success of the contemporary writer. Professor Hutcheon is a leading figure and a specialist in postmodernist culture and in critical theory, on which she has published The Poetics of Postmodernism: History, Theory, Fiction (1988); The Politics of Postmodernism (1989); The Canadian Postmodern (1989)

Academy Discourse - The Battle for Afghanistan - William Dalrymple William Dalrymple Wednesday, 13th February 2013, 6pm, Academy House In the spring of 1839 British forces invaded Afghanistan for the first time, re-establishing Shah Shuja on the throne, in reality as their puppet, and ushering in a period of conflict over the territory still unresolved today. In 1842, the Afghan people rose in answer to the call for jihad against the foreign occupiers, and the country exploded into violent rebellion. In what is arguably the greatest military humiliation ever suffered by the West in the East, more than eighteen thousand cold and hungry British troops, Indian sepoys and camp followers retreated through the icy mountain passes, and of the last survivors who made their final stand at the village of Gandamak, only one man, Dr Brydon, made it through to the British garrison at Jellalabad. An entire army of what was then the most powerful military nation in the world was utterly routed by poorly equipped tribesmen.

22–23 November 2012 An tOll. Ruairí Ó hUiginn, MRIA, School of Celtic Studies, NUI Maynooth Lebor na hUidre: Some Early Connacht Associations CHAIR: Prof. Fergus Kelly, MRIA, DIAS, School of Celtic Studies Lebor na hUidre (LU) is the oldest manuscript we have that is written entirely in the Irish language. It contains the earliest versions to have been transmitted to us of some of the most celebrated Old Irish sagas: Táin Bó Cuailnge, Togail Bruidne Da Derga, Fled Bricrenn, Mesca Ulad, Tochmarc Emere and several others, in addition to much material of a historical or religious nature. Included in the latter is Amra Choluim Chille, believed by many to have been written shortly after the saint’s death and therefore it would be the oldest continuous text we have in Irish. Given LU’s unique position, it is not surprising that aspects of its content and composition have been the subject of research and discussion. One of the most important studies to be carried out was that of R.I. Best ‘Notes on the script

22–23 November 2012 Dr John Carey, MRIA, Dept. of Early & Medieval Irish, UCC H and his World CHAIR: Prof. Liam Breatnach Lebor na hUidre (LU) is the oldest manuscript we have that is written entirely in the Irish language. It contains the earliest versions to have been transmitted to us of some of the most celebrated Old Irish sagas: Táin Bó Cuailnge, Togail Bruidne Da Derga, Fled Bricrenn, Mesca Ulad, Tochmarc Emere and several others, in addition to much material of a historical or religious nature. Included in the latter is Amra Choluim Chille, believed by many to have been written shortly after the saint’s death and therefore it would be the oldest continuous text we have in Irish. Given LU’s unique position, it is not surprising that aspects of its content and composition have been the subject of research and discussion. One of the most important studies to be carried out was that of R.I. Best ‘Notes on the script of Lebor na hUidre’, which appeared in volume 6 of the Royal Irish Academy’s journal

22–23 November 2012 Dr Nollaig Ó Muraíle, MRIA, Dept. of Medieval Irish, NUI Galway Lebor na hUidre’s Sojourn in Íochtar Connacht, 1359–1470 CHAIR: Prof. Liam Breatnach Lebor na hUidre (LU) is the oldest manuscript we have that is written entirely in the Irish language. It contains the earliest versions to have been transmitted to us of some of the most celebrated Old Irish sagas: Táin Bó Cuailnge, Togail Bruidne Da Derga, Fled Bricrenn, Mesca Ulad, Tochmarc Emere and several others, in addition to much material of a historical or religious nature. Included in the latter is Amra Choluim Chille, believed by many to have been written shortly after the saint’s death and therefore it would be the oldest continuous text we have in Irish. Given LU’s unique position, it is not surprising that aspects of its content and composition have been the subject of research and discussion. One of the most important studies to be carried out was that of R.I. Best ‘Notes on the script of Lebor na hUidre’, which appeared i

22–23 November 2012 Dr Elizabeth Boyle, Dept. of Early & Middle Irish, UCC & St Edmund’s College, Univ. of Cambridge Eschatological Themes in Lebor na hUidre: The Body, Judgement and the End CHAIR: Dr Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Dept. of Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic, St John’s College, Univ. of Cambridge Lebor na hUidre (LU) is the oldest manuscript we have that is written entirely in the Irish language. It contains the earliest versions to have been transmitted to us of some of the most celebrated Old Irish sagas: Táin Bó Cuailnge, Togail Bruidne Da Derga, Fled Bricrenn, Mesca Ulad, Tochmarc Emere and several others, in addition to much material of a historical or religious nature. Included in the latter is Amra Choluim Chille, believed by many to have been written shortly after the saint’s death and therefore it would be the oldest continuous text we have in Irish. Given LU’s unique position, it is not surprising that aspects of its content and composition have been the subject of research and discussion. One

22–23 November 2012 Prof. Liam Breatnach, MRIA, DIAS, School of Celtic Studies Lebor na hUidre: Some Linguistic Aspects CHAIR: Prof. Donnchadh Ó Corráin Lebor na hUidre (LU) is the oldest manuscript we have that is written entirely in the Irish language. It contains the earliest versions to have been transmitted to us of some of the most celebrated Old Irish sagas: Táin Bó Cuailnge, Togail Bruidne Da Derga, Fled Bricrenn, Mesca Ulad, Tochmarc Emere and several others, in addition to much material of a historical or religious nature. Included in the latter is Amra Choluim Chille, believed by many to have been written shortly after the saint’s death and therefore it would be the oldest continuous text we have in Irish. Given LU’s unique position, it is not surprising that aspects of its content and composition have been the subject of research and discussion. One of the most important studies to be carried out was that of R.I. Best ‘Notes on the script of Lebor na hUidre’, which appeared in volume 6 of th

22–23 November 2012 Lebor na hUidre - Conference Introduction - Prof Luke Drury, President of the RIA Lebor na hUidre (LU) is the oldest manuscript we have that is written entirely in the Irish language. It contains the earliest versions to have been transmitted to us of some of the most celebrated Old Irish sagas: Táin Bó Cuailnge, Togail Bruidne Da Derga, Fled Bricrenn, Mesca Ulad, Tochmarc Emere and several others, in addition to much material of a historical or religious nature. Included in the latter is Amra Choluim Chille, believed by many to have been written shortly after the saint’s death and therefore it would be the oldest continuous text we have in Irish. Given LU’s unique position, it is not surprising that aspects of its content and composition have been the subject of research and discussion. One of the most important studies to be carried out was that of R.I. Best ‘Notes on the script of Lebor na hUidre’, which appeared in volume 6 of the Royal Irish Academy’s journal Ériu a hundred year

22–23 November 2012 Prof. Donnchadh Ó Corráin, MRIA, Emeritus Prof. of Medieval History, UCC Clerics, Lineage and Literature CHAIR: An tOll. Ruairí Ó hUiginn Lebor na hUidre (LU) is the oldest manuscript we have that is written entirely in the Irish language. It contains the earliest versions to have been transmitted to us of some of the most celebrated Old Irish sagas: Táin Bó Cuailnge, Togail Bruidne Da Derga, Fled Bricrenn, Mesca Ulad, Tochmarc Emere and several others, in addition to much material of a historical or religious nature. Included in the latter is Amra Choluim Chille, believed by many to have been written shortly after the saint’s death and therefore it would be the oldest continuous text we have in Irish. Given LU’s unique position, it is not surprising that aspects of its content and composition have been the subject of research and discussion. One of the most important studies to be carried out was that of R.I. Best ‘Notes on the script of Lebor na hUidre’, which appeared in volume 6

22–23 November 2012 Dr Elizabeth Duncan, Dept. of Celtic & Scottish Studies, Univ. of Edinburgh The Palaeography of Lebor na hUidre CHAIR: An tOll. Pádraig Ó Macháin, Dept. of Modern Irish, UCC Lebor na hUidre (LU) is the oldest manuscript we have that is written entirely in the Irish language. It contains the earliest versions to have been transmitted to us of some of the most celebrated Old Irish sagas: Táin Bó Cuailnge, Togail Bruidne Da Derga, Fled Bricrenn, Mesca Ulad, Tochmarc Emere and several others, in addition to much material of a historical or religious nature. Included in the latter is Amra Choluim Chille, believed by many to have been written shortly after the saint’s death and therefore it would be the oldest continuous text we have in Irish. Given LU’s unique position, it is not surprising that aspects of its content and composition have been the subject of research and discussion. One of the most important studies to be carried out was that of R.I. Best ‘Notes on the script of Lebor na

22–23 November 2012 Dr Abigail Burnyeat, Dept. of Celtic & Scottish Studies, Univ. of Edinburgh Compilatio and the Creation of Lebor na hUidre CHAIR: Prof. Fergus Kelly, MRIA, DIAS, School of Celtic Studies Lebor na hUidre (LU) is the oldest manuscript we have that is written entirely in the Irish language. It contains the earliest versions to have been transmitted to us of some of the most celebrated Old Irish sagas: Táin Bó Cuailnge, Togail Bruidne Da Derga, Fled Bricrenn, Mesca Ulad, Tochmarc Emere and several others, in addition to much material of a historical or religious nature. Included in the latter is Amra Choluim Chille, believed by many to have been written shortly after the saint’s death and therefore it would be the oldest continuous text we have in Irish. Given LU’s unique position, it is not surprising that aspects of its content and composition have been the subject of research and discussion. One of the most important studies to be carried out was that of R.I. Best ‘Notes on the script

Paul Bew has been Professor of Irish Politics at Queen’s University Belfast since 1991. A historical advisor to the Bloody Sunday inquiry, he was appointed an independent cross-bench peer in 2007 and is a member of the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly. Bew is the author of numerous books on Irish politics and history; most recently he has edited A Yankee in de Valera’s Ireland, the 1940 memoir of David Gray, the then US ambassador to Ireland. On the occasion of the book’s launch on 6 November 2012 at The Great Hall, Queen’s University Belfast, Liam Kennedy interviews Paul Bew about his life and work.