Latest news with #WordsontheWave
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Irish Examiner
National Museum to unveil rare Irish medieval manuscripts in landmark international exhibition
A landmark medieval exhibition displaying rare manuscripts will be launched at the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) today, May 29. The free exhibition, Words on the Wave: Ireland and St. Gallen in Early Medieval Europe, focuses on early medieval Ireland and its profound impact on European intellectual and cultural life. Among the rare manuscripts on display are Isidore's Etymologiae, a 20-volume 7th-century encyclopedia exploring the meaning of words; Priscian's Institutiones Grammaticae, a Latin grammar book containing thousands of Old Irish marginal notes by monks; and the Irish Gospels of St Gall, a rare mid-8th-century illuminated manuscript. The Gospels feature vibrant and striking portraits of the Evangelists, vivid scenes of the Crucifixion, and the earliest known depiction of the Last Judgement. These manuscripts will be displayed alongside over 100 extraordinary artefacts, including the Lough Kinale Book Shrine — Ireland's oldest and largest container for a sacred book — the Ardshanbally Brooch, found near Adare in Co Limerick and dating from the 8th or 9th century, and a Viking sword discovered in the River Shannon in 2018. The exhibition will run from May 30 until October 24. This marks the largest-ever loan of these priceless artefacts, in what Cathal O'Donoghue, Chair of the NMI, has called "the most significant exhibition at the National Museum, Kildare Street in decades." The launch will take place in conjunction with Karin Keller-Sutter, president of the Swiss Confederation, who played a key role in securing the loan of 17 manuscripts from the Abbey Library of St Gall in Switzerland. The manuscripts trace the journeys of Irish monks who travelled across Europe in search of exile, refuge, and learning—bringing with them Ireland's unique artistic and scholarly traditions. They also reflect a 1,400-year-old connection between Ireland and Switzerland, dating back to the arrival of St Gall in the Swiss city of St Gallen in 612. An Early Medieval brooch-pin discovered at Ardshanbally last year that will be on display at the NMI. File picture: Fran Veale/Julien Behal Photography Arts and culture minister, Patrick O'Donovan said: 'This exhibition is a unique opportunity to see these manuscripts in Ireland and displayed alongside a fascinating array of artefacts that reflect their contents. "It's fascinating to see that researchers today are still discovering new insights into objects over 1,000 years old, and I would like to commend the collaboration between the Museum and the Abbey Library of St. Gall, as well as with UCC and TCD, in this regard.' Lynn Scarff, director of the NMI, added: 'In addition to the honour of hosting this exhibition, it has been wonderful to have developed and grown the collaborative relationship between the National Museum of Ireland and so many scholars and researchers across Ireland and Switzerland in the development of the project".
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- RTÉ News
'World first' exhibition shows medieval Ireland's connection to Europe
The National Museum of Ireland has launched a landmark exhibition exploring early medieval Ireland and its impact on Europe, called 'Words on the Wave: Ireland and St Gallen in Early Medieval Europe'. Described as a "world first", the exhibition, which will be opened by Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter, presents 17 early medieval manuscripts that are coming to Ireland on loan from Stiftsbibliothek St Galle, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Maeve Sikora, keeper of Irish antiquities at the National Museum, said the exhibition is about portraying "the connectedness" between Ireland and continental Europe adding, "people coming and people going, ideas coming and going, artefacts coming and going". It is the largest ever loan of treasured manuscripts from Stiftsbibliothek with many contemporaries of the books of Kells and Durrow on display. The exhibition also features more than 100 objects from the medieval world from which the manuscripts emerged, with many on public display for the first time. Ireland's oldest book shrine, Lough Kinale Shrine, will be on display for the first time following a period of conservation at the National Museum after discovery at the bottom of a lake in Longford. Many of the manuscripts from Stiftsbibliothek St Galle's collection have Irish connections, with some of them attributed to Irish scribes. These manuscripts are returning to Ireland for the first time in more than 1,000 years. Stiftsbibliothek St Galle in Switzerland, which is home to one of the world's most significant collections of early medieval manuscripts, has loaned the manuscripts which will offer visitors a unique opportunity to see the precious works in Ireland. Written on vellum, the manuscripts reflect the journeys of early medieval Irish monks like St Gall and St Columbanus. Highlights in the exhibition include Isidore's Etymologiae, the earliest surviving copy of this 7th-century encyclopaedia of word meanings, considered an 'internet' of the ancient world. Priscian's Institutiones Grammaticae also features, which is a Latin grammar book unique for the thousands of scribbles in the margins by the monks in the old Irish language. The translations of Latin into old Irish were essential in reconstructing the once lost language and visitors can get a glimpse into the everyday thoughts of these monks through their doodles, witty banter, and grumbles about the Vikings, hangovers and the quality of the ink in the margins of the manuscript. The exhibition includes the late 8th century book, Codex Sangallensis 51, which is one of the rarest in the world, and the vellum reliquary label which dates to around 700AD. This small but significant label contains the earliest known written reference to St Brigid. St Gall, who was a companion of Columbanus, was one of the Irish monks who left Ireland in the 6th century. This lesser known saint, called Gall or Gallus, is recognised through the historic city of St Gallen, which has been designated as a UNESCO world heritage site, and is a unique repository of Irish history and culture. St Gall later went on to found a monastery in 612 in Allemania (close to lake Constance in modern day Switzerland) which was an important point on the pilgrimage route to Rome. Subsequently, an abbey school and library were established there by the 8th century. As the exhibition demonstrates, journeys such as the voyage by St Columbanus and St Gall carried not only people but also manuscripts, ideas, and artistic traditions, connecting the small island of Ireland to a much larger continent. The manuscripts on loan to the museum comprise a mixture of books thought to be written in Irish monastic settlements, which later travelled to Europe with Gall and Columbanus, and texts penned by Irish scribes in St Gallen. To bring the exhibition to life, the National Museum, which holds the world's largest collection of early medieval Irish objects will feature more than 150 objects from its collection to illustrate the level of contact between Ireland, Britain and the continent in the early medieval period. Included in the exhibition will be the findings of new research, which researchers say have significantly enrichened their understanding of Ireland's Golden Age. On display in the exhibition for the first time are artefacts from the museum's national collection, many with the results of new research and carbon dating. The Faddan More Psalter, found on a Tipperary bog is another highlight while also featuring is the Ardshanbally Brooch which was recently discovered during an excavation. From Co Donegal, there is a collection of chopped-up metal artefacts from the shores of Lough Foyle attesting to Viking presence in this area. Honouring the two countries' shared history, the Swiss library has furnished the National Museum of Ireland with its illustrious manuscripts marking the library's largest loan ever. For such an institution to bestow more than a couple of manuscripts at a time is practically unheard of, the museum stated. 'Words on the Wave: Ireland and St Gallen in Early Medieval Europe' is free to visit in the museum's Kildare Street location from May until October.
The Journal
24-04-2025
- The Journal
Irish-connected manuscripts to be exhibited in Dublin show monks' 'grumbles about the Vikings'
THE LARGEST EVER loan of historical manuscripts with Irish connections will be on display at the National Museum of Ireland from the end of May. The 17 manuscripts, which will be on loan from Switzerland, will return to Ireland for the first time in a millennia. Some of the manuscripts were likely written in Ireland or by Irish scribes. The manuscripts will be at the centre of an exhibition entitled 'Words on the Wave: Ireland and St. Gallen in Early Medieval Europe'. The exhibition will focus on early medieval Ireland and its 'profound impact on ideas in Europe', and include over 100 Irish artefacts from the time period. These will include imported pottery and glass, wax tablets used by scribes, and the only Irish manuscript ever found in a bog—the Faddan More Psalter. The Faddan More Psalter, Front Cover Flap. National Museum of Ireland National Museum of Ireland Opening on 30 May at the National Museum of Ireland on Kildare Street in Dublin, the exhibition will run for four months. Advertisement The artefacts have been loaned to the National Museum from Swiss UNESCO World Heritage site Stiftsbibliothek St. Gallen. Also known as the Abbey Library of St Gall, the library, which dates from the eight century, holds 'one of the world's most significant collections of early medieval manuscripts'. St Gall was an Irish monk who travelled to Switzerland and spread Christianity. The manuscripts reflect his work and the work of fellow Irish monk, St Columbanus. Both monks had studied in a monastery in Bangor – the teachings at the monastery said to have been the origin of Ireland's reputation of being 'the land of saints and scholars'. The manuscripts also highlight Ireland's connection with Europe and the 'Irish thirst for knowledge'. Another key object that will be on display is the Lough Kinale Book Shrine. The artefact is the earliest and largest container for a sacred book, found broken at the bottom of Longford Lake, and which has now been conserved and will be on display for the first time. Book shrine, Lough Kinale, Tonymore North, Co. Longford. 1986:141 National Museum of Ireland National Museum of Ireland Priscian's Institutiones Grammaticae, a manuscript that features thousands of scribbles in the margins by the monks in their own language, will also be on display. The more everyday thoughts of the monks are showcased through this book, which include doodles and 'grumbles about the Vikings'. Priscian Institutiones Grammaticae, Cod. Sang 904, p. 3. © Stiftsbibliothek, St. Gallen. © Stiftsbibliothek, St. Gallen. Following the exhibition's four month stint in Dublin, it will be relocated to Switzerland. It is set to open at the Swiss National Museum in Zurich in 2027. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Guardian
18-04-2025
- The Guardian
Millennium-old monks' manuscripts return to Ireland for exhibition
More than 1,000 years ago, Irish monks took precious manuscripts to the European continent to protect them from Viking raids and to spread Christianity and scholarship – a glow of culture in what would be called the dark ages. The monks did not know if the books, which included religious scriptures, linguistic analysis, scribbled jokes and a collection of tomes described as the internet of the ancient world, would survive, or ever return. A millennium later, fragments of that trove are for the first time finding their way back to Ireland. Switzerland's Abbey of Saint Gall has agreed to lend 17 manuscripts to the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin for a landmark exhibition that will combine artefacts and parchments to recreate a sense of Ireland's golden age as the 'land of saints and scholars', when missionary monks established monasteries in what are today Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. 'What we're trying to do is to retrace those journeys and the world in which those manuscripts were produced,' said Matthew Seaver, who is curating the exhibition, titled Words on the Wave: Ireland and St Gallen in Early Medieval Europe. 'These books are key to an understanding of ourselves, our language and our links with the continent. Their value and importance are difficult to overestimate.' Ireland retained the Book of Kells, a masterpiece that is now displayed at Trinity College Dublin, but lost most of its ancient books to the Vikings and subsequent centuries of political turmoil, Seaver said. 'That's why today there are more Irish manuscripts in Britain and the continent than in Ireland.' The exhibition, which coincides with challenges to international trade and European unity, is a reminder of economic, cultural and political ties that threaded the Atlantic to the Alps from the fifth century. After much of Ireland converted to Christianity, its monasteries became centres of learning that produced and replicated academic and religious manuscripts, including the oldest surviving copy of Etymologiae, an encyclopedia of the origin of words that has been called antiquity's internet. Scribes who wrote a grammar book titled Priscian's Institutiones Grammaticae recorded not only Latin language rules but, in the margins, scribbled comments about their daily lives. One admitted to being 'ale-killed' – having a hangover. Some complained of the cold, others grumbled at their materials. 'New parchment, bad ink. O I say nothing more.' Another expressed hope that a storm would deter any Viking raid. 'Bitter is the wind tonight, it tosses the ocean's white hair: I fear not the coursing of a clear sea by the fierce heroes from Lothlend.' Such comments showed the manuscripts were not just relics of scholarship, Seaver said. 'They're full of human voices, humour, frustration and resilience, offering us a rare and very real glimpse into the daily lives and personalities of early medieval Irish monks.' Taking manuscripts to the continent was a response to the Viking threat and also part of a system of cultural exchange, said the curator. 'It was a two-way street. From an early stage, Ireland was receiving books and scholars from the continent and Anglo-Saxon England.' It is thought that ships that brought wine, oils, pottery and other wares from the continent took Irish monks in the other direction. The most famous, Saint Columba, also known as Columbanus, established monasteries in the seventh century in the Frankish and Lombard kingdoms. One of his reputed disciples, Saint Gall, founded a hermitage that became an abbey in what is now the Swiss city of St Gallen. The abbey library, now a Unesco world heritage site, has agreed to lend 17 manuscripts for the exhibition, which will run from 30 May to 24 October. The National Museum of Ireland will display the books with more than 100 artefacts from its own collection, including the Lough Kinale Book Shrine, which is the earliest and largest known container for a sacred text. Discovered broken at the bottom of a Longford lake, it makes its public debut in the exhibition after years of conservation.
