Catalogue
of Series and Monographs
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Irish Cultural and Historical Interest
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The Legend of St Brendan: A Critical BibliographyBy Glyn S. Burgess and Clara Strijbosch St Brendan, also known as Brendan the Navigator and Brendan of Clonfert, was born in County Kerry, Ireland. The Annals of Inisfallen record his birth as being in the year 486, and he is thought to have died in 575. He is best known through the seafaring tale Navigatio sancti Brendani (The Voyage of St Brendan), which has been preserved in a large number of manuscripts and given rise to a wide variety of vernacular versions. In addition, Vita Brendani / Betha Brénainn (The Life of Brendan) has survived in five Latin manuscript versions and two principal Irish ones. A large number of other historical Brendan texts, or allusions to him in other works, have also survived, and there is no lack of modern versions of his life and adventures. Brendan still figures high on the list of possible discoverers of America, and the search for the mythical St Brendan's Isle, which was certainly one of the factors that inspired the voyages of Christopher Columbus, is alluded to in many studies of medieval maps and in works on the discovery of the New World. This volume presents the surviving Brendan texts and the scholarly work inspired by the real and the legendary St Brendan in the form of a critical bibliography. It is divided into two principal parts. Part One lists primary material, mainly manuscripts, editions and translations. Allusions to Brendan in a number of medieval texts are included, as are some examples of modern literary treatments of the legend. Part Two lists secondary material, studies of the Brendan legend in the form of books, articles and chapters or sections of books. All rights available |
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Irish Historic Towns AtlasVolume 1 Edited by Anngret Simms, H.B. Clarke, Raymond Gillespie, J.H. Andrews and K.M. Davies This exquisite volume assembles the first six towns of the Irish Historic Towns Atlas, previously published as individual fascicles. These towns illustrate characteristic periods of town formation in Ireland. Kildare and Kells have their origins in monastic sites, while Carrickfergus and Athlone are part of an extensive network of colonial towns built in the late twelfth century. Bandon exemplifies an early seventeenth century plantation town, while Mullingar is a typical market centre. The topographical history of these towns reflects the cultural identity of Ireland in a particularly colourful way. "meticulously researched and well written...
accompanied by an encyclopaedic compendium of topographical information...
As befits an Atlas, however, it is the many maps and illustrations
which are the great strength and which help to bring these respective
urban histories most vividly to life" All rights available
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Maynooth Library TreasuresFrom the Collections of Saint Patrick's College Edited by Agnes Neligan "Treasures are normally the most valued possessions
of an institution, kept in a safe place... Our treasures are different
in the sense that they are not only part and parcel of our heritage
but also part of a living tradition, items from the past yet living
objects of present scholarship." The library treasures of Saint Patrick's College, Maynooth, are a powerful cultural magnet, drawing visitors and scholars from Europe and further afield to its unique collections. Here the theology of past centuries is illuminated by the many collections acquired by the library, including those of the Hibernian Bible Society and Bishop Thomas Furlong. Its Special collections section focuses on books 'rich, rare and curious', including an 1876 Moose Cree New Testament and a 13th century manuscript of St. Augustine's De Pastoribus. The rich breadth and diversity of the library's collections covers early Gaelic manuscripts, 19th century pamphlets, architectural plans and drawings, and the famous Salamanca Archives, comprising a stunning 50,000 documents gathered by Irish colleges in Spain over 400 years. Lavishly illustrated throughout in colour and black-and-white, Maynooth Library Treasures celebrates this famous library through a series of fascinating and revealing essays, allowing the reader to discover and appreciate its many wonders. All rights available |
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Treasures of the LibraryTrinity College Dublin Edited by Peter Fox The Library of Trinity College Dublin is one of the world's great research libraries, with the largest and finest collection of books and manuscripts in Ireland. Its early manuscripts, the Book of Kells and the Book of Durrow, are world-renowned. Treasures of the Library explores the varied facets of its collections-some of the oldest written materials of the age before printing; the transition from manuscript to print in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and its impact on the reading public; and later manuscripts and typescripts as sources for scholars of history and literature. Winner of the Best Illustrated Book category in the 1986 Irish Book Design Awards, this exquisite book features over twenty experts in their fields, writing with authority and flair on a range of topics including: Jonathan Swift; the 1798 rebellion; 17th century drama; l9th century Irish ballad sheets; modern Irish literary manuscripts, including those of W.B. Yeats, J.M. Synge and Samuel Beckett; the Long Room; and a brief history of the Library. Contributors include Anne Crookshank, George Otto Simms, Aidan Clarke, Helga Robinson Hammerstein, Paul Pollard and many others. All rights available |
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Beranger's Views of IrelandWith text by Peter Harbison "No one of his time could draw an old castle, a cromlech, or a round tower better" wrote Sir William Wilde of the antiquarian artist Gabriel Beranger. In 1880, Lady Wilde wrote one of her husband's "earnest wish...that Beranger's sketches, so rich in suggestion for our living artists, and so important to the antiquary and archaeologist, should be published in a volume". More than a century later, the Royal Irish Academy took a vital step in fulfilling that wish, publishing a selection of 47 of Beranger's watercolour sketches of famous Irish historical sites such as Bective Abbey, Glendalough, Blarney Castle and Mount Venus Dolmen. Accompanied by Peter Harbison's informative text, these delightful colour reproductions open up again for us vistas of Ireland which have been hidden from view since the eighteenth century. All rights available |
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Dictionary of the Irish LanguageBased mainly on Old and Middle Irish Materials E.G. Quin, General Editor First projected by the Irish Archaeological Society in 1852, work on the Dictionary of the Irish Language was initiated by the foremost Irish scholars of the time, John O'Donovan and Eugene O'Curry. Unfortunately, both were dead by 1862, but before his death O'Donovan had outlined how the dictionary should be based on a thorough excerpting of older Irish manuscripts. The meanings of words were to be supported by citations. Etymology was not to be attempted apart from derivation within Irish itself and the giving of sources of loan words. These directions have been adhered to in the work as eventually compiled. From 1852 onwards, work was slowly progressed by numerous scholars and it was only in 1913 that the first fasciculus of the Academy's Dictionary of the Irish Language was published. By 1976 all 24 parts of the dictionary were finally completed, running to over 2,500 pages. Limited quantities of complete sets are still available at €55.00. In 1983, because of the difficulty in keeping the individual fascicles in print, and to facilitate handling, a compact edition was published and reprinted in 1990. This contains all 24 parts photographically reduced into a handsome single volume. All rights available; |
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The Cathach: Psalter of Colum CillePublication of Digitised Version on CD-rom To mark the 1400th anniversary of the death of Colum Cille, renowned as a prolific and accomplished scribe, the Royal Irish Academy is proposing to publish on CD-rom The Cathach, traditionally ascribed to Colum Cille's own hand. The Cathach (Battler) is a psalter manuscript which, along with its shrine, was the chief relic of Colum Cille's kinsmen, the O'Donnells. In medieval times the tradition grew up of carrying it thrice righthand-wise round the field of battle as a talisman. According to A Life of Colum Cille written in 1532 by Manus O'Donnell, The Cathach is identified as the copy, made at night by St. Colum Cille, of a psalter lent to him by St. Finnian. When a dispute arose over the ownership of the copy, King Diarmait Mac Cerbhail delivered the judgement: "To every cow her calf, so to every book its copy", a judgement frequently cited as an early example of copyright law. The Cathach is now incomplete, consisting of 58 folios. Originally, it would have had c. 110 folios. Its text now runs consecutively from Psalm 30.10 to Psalm 105.13 with a rubric or titulus before each psalm. All of the surviving leaves are damaged to some extent by contact with the shrine in which it was encased. The CD will reproduce the 58 folios of the manuscript in digitised form, with optimised versions of the text to enable scholars to read the text of the psalms and the tituli or headings, and to examine the illuminated initials and the writing under magnification. It will also be possible to compare the original psalter text with H.J. Lawlor's edition of 1916. It is proposed to provide a printed introduction to the CD written by a team of scholars which will examine the history of the manuscript and its shrine, the biblical content of the psalms as well as its art history and palaeography. Price €40 March 2002 |
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Excavations at Knowth 2George Eogan & Helen Roche Together with the sites of Newgrange and Dowth, Knowth makes up the archaeological complex at Brú na Bóinne, and there has been enormous interest in this internationally important site over the years. George Eogan has been excavating the site at Knowth since 1962 and this is the second major report published in the Academy's Monographs in Archaeology series. The book deals with prehistoric settlement at the site starting with the arrival of people who practised farming there about 4000 years ago and it records important new evidence for settlement. 279mm x 217mm; 320 pp A limited number of the first report on the site are also available.
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Dublin's Turbulent Priest: Cornelius Nary (1658-1738)Patrick Fagan Described by the historian Lecky as 'probably the ablest priest then living in Ireland', the remarkable story of Cornelius Nary has been neglected by modern historians. This penetrating biography restores Nary, best known for The Case of the Roman Catholics in Ireland, his influential publication during the penal law period, and his controversial 1718 translation of the New Testament to his rightful place as one of the most prominent Catholic figures in early eighteenth century Ireland. "This book received the Mary Alice McNeill award
for a work of historical studies. The author richly deserves the
honour. Familiar with the eighteenth century, this has clearly been
a work he enjoyed doing...a distinctive publication of superior
quality." All rights available; |
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The High Crosses of IrelandAn Iconographical and Photographic Survey Peter Harbison The classic study of the High Crosses of Ireland. Published by Dr Rudolf Habelt GmbH, Bonn, the Academy acts as the Irish agent for this volume of text and two volumes of illustrations. "There is a great feeling of collective, gathered
authority, profound research, and a remarkable first-hand familiarity
with a huge body of physical magnificence... To call Peter Harbison's
book definitive sounds academic, yet it is the beginning of wisdom.
Put more simply, he is the world authority on the subject, and reading
the detailed comment, being instructed by it, is a privilege and
a joy." Hardback €361.88; ISBN 3 7749 2536 4 |
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Man and Environment in Valencia IslandFrank Mitchell A vivid study of Valencia Island from the arrival of Stone Age people to the present day, drawing on ten years of intensive field research. "The development of the island's archaeological
record and the changes in the environment are assessed as part of
an interwoven pattern... This small area shows in microcosm the
archaeological complexity of the surviving evidence built up during
the past nine thousand years of land exploitation in Ireland and
will provide an excellent model for other research projects. For
all those interested in our heritage, whether cultural or environmental,
it is essential and rewarding reading." "The work, as one might expect of Frank Mitchell,
is imbued with his characteristic enthusiasm...and is rich with
his experience, insights and anecdote, as a Quaternary scientist
and naturalist." All rights available; |
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Some People and Places in Irish Science and TechnologyEdited by Charles Mollan, William Davis and Brendan Finucane This acclaimed collection of pen portraits of Irish men, women and places reveals the richness of Ireland's contributions to scientific and technological advancement. "an excellent introduction to Irish scientific
history, offering brief accounts of 39 Irish scientists who over
a span of several hundred years have made discoveries of international
significance. The format consists of a 1-2 page sketch by an Irish
historian or scientist, conveying the essential biographical detail
with a brief description of the scientific discovery. Each sketch
is nicely illustrated with pictures of the scientist in question
with, in some cases drawings or diagrams of places and equipment
of historical interest." "fascinating glimpses into Ireland's scientific
heritage...a must for all school, college and university libraries" All rights available; |
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More People and Places in Irish Science and TechnologyEdited by Charles Mollan, William Davis and Brendan Finucane "This, the second volume published by the Royal
Irish Academy, gives an account of thirty-eight eminent men and
women who, native or foreign, carried out a major part of their
work in Ireland... besides the people, the book gives an account
of learned institutions and of sites, such as Kiltorcan Quarry,
which have played a major part in the development of knowledge...
a very valuable series" All rights available; |
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