- Manuscript on public display in Ireland for first time in 40 years
- 57 vellum leaves written in Latin and Irish chronicle history until 15th Century
- Manuscript preserved at Bodleian Library Oxford for over 250 years
- Exhibition runs at Glucksman Gallery UCC until 1 November
- Supported by Fexco, NPWS and National Monuments Service
The Annals of Innisfallen has gone on public display in Ireland for the first time in 40 years, in an exhibition that has opened at University College Cork. The annals chronicle life in Ireland from before the arrival of St Patrick until the 15th Century.
They were mainly written by monks at an abbey located on an island on the Lakes of Killarney and are regarded as one of Ireland’s most important medieval manuscripts. The Annals of Innisfallen are a single, bound manuscript consisting of 57 vellum leaves and written in Latin and Irish. They document a year-by-year history of Ireland – specifically Munster – including invasions, Viking raids on Sceilig Mhichíl and the coming of the Normans.
They are a continuous narrative of death, conflict, dramatic weather events and unusual occurrences in one of the most important surviving records of medieval Ireland. Some unusual occurrences captured include comets, the great snow of 1047 and the gift of a camel from the King of Scotland to the great grandson of High King of Ireland Brian Boru in 1105. Uniquely, from the 11th to the 14th Century, the annals form a contemporary account of events, written by around 30 people.
Pádraig Ó Macháin shared “This is a monument to the work of a multitude of scribes who facilitated the transition from Latin to Irish as the language of record and scholarship, a language that, remarkably, is still very much with us.”
Christopher O’Sullivan shared “I hope this exhibition inspires everyone to explore the story of Inisfallen, to reflect on the remarkable legacy preserved within the Annals, and to appreciate the enduring connections between landscape, history and identity.”
John O’Halloran shared “By bringing together scholarship, interpretation and digital access, we hope to inspire new audiences to discover the richness of our shared history and the extraordinary work of the scribes who preserved it.”
