Medieval treasure on display in UCC

Cillian Ferry

“One of the great treasures of Ireland’s written heritage” is now open to the public as the Annals of Inisfallen have gone on display in Cork.

A major new free exhibition in University College Cork (UCC) is displaying one of the most important surviving records of medieval Ireland. Just over a thousand years of Irish history are enclosed in the 57 vellum leaves of the Annals of Inisfallen, documenting events before and after the arrival of St Patrick in Ireland.

Inside its unique pages, the invasions of Ireland by the mythical Tuatha Dé Danann, Viking raids on Skellig Michael, and the coming of the Normans are all detailed, as well as later entries from the 11th to 14th centuries which are contemporary with the writing of the book and involve the contributions from a succession of thirty scribes. Later additions extend the historical record into the 15th century.

The manuscript is thought to have been first copied in the monastery of Lismore in Co. Waterford from materials created in the monasteries of Clonmacnoise in Co. Offaly and Emly in Co. Tipperary. In the 12th century, the manuscript was brought to west Munster, most likely to the island monastery of Inisfallen, where the annual records were continued.

The exhibition, Recording the Past: The Annals of Inisfallen and the Making of Irish History, in the Glucksman in UCC, runs until 1 November and puts the manuscript on display in Ireland for the first time since 1983, before it returns to the Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford where it has been persevered for more than 250 years.

Prof. John O’Halloran, President, UCC, said: “The Annals of Inisfallen is one of the great treasures of Ireland’s written heritage. This exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to engage with a manuscript that has shaped our understanding of medieval Ireland. 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.”

The arrival of the Annals of Inisfallen to UCC was a collaboration with University of Oxford in England. Liz Jolly, UCC Librarian stated: “Through this exhibition, we are deepening connections across UCC and with regional and International partners, creating new opportunities for discovery and knowledge exchange with our communities and the public.”

Richard Ovenden, Bodley’s Librarian and the Helen Hamlyn Director of University Libraries said: “Giving the public a chance to view and get up close with this much treasured manuscript will help support greater understanding and appreciation of the medieval period, the role of manuscripts in preserving knowledge, and allow us to celebrate the shared responsibilities of libraries like the Bodleian and the UCC Library in preserving the past for the benefit of the present and the future.”

The exhibition was also enabled by the support of Brian McCarthy, Fexco, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the National Monuments Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Kerry County Council, and Cork University Foundation, the document is “visible and accessible to our local and national communities, enabling all of us to engage with our history in a meaningful way”.

Kerry Bryson, CEO of Cork University Foundation thanked supporters and donors who were crucial in securing the annals.