A New History of Ireland is the largest scholarly project in modern Irish history. In 9 volumes, it provides a comprehensive new synthesis of modern scholarship on every aspect of Irish history and prehistory, from the earliest geological and archaeological evidence, through the Middle Ages, down to the present day. Volume I begins by looking at geography and the physical environment. Chapters follow that examine pre-3000, neolithic, bronze-age and iron-age Ireland and Ireland up to 800. Society, laws, church and politics are all analysed separately as are architecture, literature, manuscripts, language, coins and music. The volume is brought up to 1166 with chapters, amongst others, on the Vikings, Ireland and its neighbours, and opposition to the High-Kings. A final chapter moves further on in time, examining Latin learning and literature in Ireland to 1500.
First of 2 volumes, see [14.] The edition is based on two eleventh-century manuscripts: Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1441 [formerly E.4.2]; and one then in Dublin, Franciscan Friary, Merchant's Quay. This latter MS[Dillon A2] is now in the Franciscan Library, Killiney, County Dublin, whither it was transferred in 1946. The collections to which the MSS bear witness are antiquarian rather than liturgical compilations and probably owe their existence to the drive to safeguard cultural monuments in the aftermath of the Norse invasions. Trinity College 1441 is datable to the 11th Century, but the texts, in Irish and Latin, appear to date from the 5th to the 8th centuries. The edition is presented with extensive notes and a glossary. See Kenney n. 574; CLLA 177; BCLL, nn. 542-564, 578-591.
This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1898. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... (e) l. 113. 'undique conglobantibus ad compagines ossibus.' The Vulgate of Ezek. xxxvii. 7, is 'accesserunt ossa ad ossa, unumquodque ad iuncturam suam'; but Ambrose and the O. L. translator of Irenaeus have 'unumquodque ad suam compaginem.' (f) l. 117. The description of the Pleiades as Uirgiliae in this stanza reproduces the O.L. of Job ix. 9: 'qui facit uirgilias et uesperum, &c.' which is witnessed to by Ambrose, and is found in the margin of the Codex Gothicus legionensis.1 The Vulgate has 'qui facit Arcturum et Oriona et Hvadas.' See, however, p. 166. (g) l. 125. 'cadent in terra sidera, ut fructus de ficulnea.' The Vulgate of Apoc. vi. 13, has 'sicut ficus emittit grossos suos.' Now the Gigas text of the O.L. Apocalypse has 'sicut ficulnea deicit grossos suos '; and Primasius and the Liber de promiss. et proedict. dei. c. xvii. read 'ficus' and 'fructus.' Thus both fructus and ficulnea of the hymn rest on good O.L. authority. In the adaptation of the Altus by Hraban Maur, to be presently spoken of, it will be observed that Hraban has replaced fructus by the more familiar grossos. The writer of the hymn, then, used a prae-Hieronymian text of both Old and New Testaments. This fact, of itself, would indicate that he was not Prosper of Aquitaine or Julianus Pomerius; and it falls in well with the tradition which names Columba as the author, for the scanty evidence on the subject which is forthcoming teaches us that it was the Old Latin rather than the Vulgate which was current in the Irish Church in the fifth and sixth centuries. This is certainly true of the Scripture quotations in the genuine remains of St. Patrick, which are Old Latin of the so-called "European" type. It is possible that legend has preserved for us the truth as to the introduction of the V...
