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Samain 2015 33.1
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CSANA
CELTIC STUDIES ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA
Newsletter 33.1 Samain 2015
Contents
Announcements 3
CFP CSANA 2016 in Nova Scotia
Conferences 7
Book Reviews
Patrick Wadden on Authorities and Adaptations 13
Sharon Paice McLeod on Studies in Irish Mythology 15
Dayanna Knight on Early Medieval Ireland AD400-‐1100 16
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CELTIC STUDIES ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA On the web at http://celtic.cmrs.ucla.edu/csana/ CSANA blog at http://csanablog.blogspot.com/
Follow us on Twitter @csanaceltic
Officers: President: Charlene Eska, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Vice-‐President: Michael Meckler, Ohio State University Secretary-‐Treasurer: Elissa R. Henken, University of Georgia
Members at Large: Lindy Brady, University of Mississippi Patrick Wadden, Belmont Abbey College Joseph Wolf, Harvard University
Bibliographer: Karen Burgess, UCLA Executive Bibliographer: Joseph F. Nagy, UCLA Yearbook Editor: Joseph F. Eska, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Newsletter Editor: Jimmy P. Miller, Temple University Past President: Paul Russell, Pembroke College, Cambridge University
Incorporated as a non-‐profit organization, the Celtic Studies Association of North America has members in the United States, Canada, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Europe, Australia and Japan. CSANA produces a twice-‐a-‐year newsletter and bibliographies of Celtic Studies. The published bibliographies (1983-‐87 and 1985-‐87) may be ordered from the Secretary-‐Treasurer, Professor Elissa R. Henken, Dept. of English, Park Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA (Email: [email protected] ).
The electronic CSANA bibliography is available at: http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/celtic/csanabib.html. The electronic bibliography is available at cost in printed form to members who request it from Bibliographer Karen Burgess, [email protected]. The bibliographer welcomes updates, corrections, and information about out-‐of-‐the-‐way publications of relevance that should be included in the Bibliography.
The privileges of membership in CSANA include the newsletter twice a year, access to the bibliography and the electronic discussion group CSANA-‐L (contact Professor Joe Eska at [email protected] to join), invitations to the annual meeting for which the registration fees are nil or very low, the right to purchase the CSANA mailing list at cost, and an invaluable sense of fellowship with Celticists throughout North America and around the world.
Membership in CSANA is open to anyone with a serious interest in Celtic Studies. Dues are payable at Beltaine. New and renewing members should send checks in either of the two accepted currencies to Elissa R. Henken (Department of English, Park Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 USA). Please note that the currency changes the Payable to line. Checks in U.S. dollars, payable to CSANA, must be drawn on a U.S. bank or an affiliate of a U.S. bank (international money orders cannot be accepted). Cheques in British Sterling must be made payable to Elissa R. Henken. Payment may also be made by credit card through PayPal. [Go to the PayPal website (www.paypal.com), press the tab “send money,” type in the e-‐mail address [email protected]. Remember to pay in U.S. dollars. Put CSANA in the e-‐mail subject line. In the Note box, type in your name, postal address, e-‐mail address, and for what exactly you are paying (dues year, membership rate, Yearbook number).]
Membership categories: Associate (student, retiree, unemployed, institution) $20 US, £13 GBP, Sustaining Member (basic) $40 US, £26 GBP Contributor $60 US, £39 GBP Patron $100 US, £65 GBP Benefactor $250 US, £163 GBP
(Contributors, Patrons and Benefactors support the creation of the CSANA bibliography, help to defray expenses of the annual meeting, and allow CSANA to develop new projects. Please join at the highest level you can.)
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Announcements
CSANA 2016 at St. Francis Xavier University CFP The Department of Celtic Studies at Saint Francis Xavier University (StFX) in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, is delighted to host the next Celtic Studies Association of
North America conference on May 5-‐8, 2016.
Papers are invited on any aspect of language, literature, history, folklore and culture of the Celtic peoples from any period. Abstracts should be sent by Nov. 30, 2015, via e-‐mail to: [email protected] with the subject line “CSANA 2016 Abstract.” Please note that speakers are required to be members of CSANA.
A very useful website including information about travel to Antigonish and accommodation has been set up at www.csana2016.com.
StFX last hosted CSANA in 1992, the first time the conference was held in Canada.
ASIMS accepting submissions for Eolas 9 Eolas: The Journal of the American Society of Irish Medieval Studies is an interdisciplinary journal dedicated to the study of Ireland in the Middle Ages, including Irish intersections with other medieval cultures and societies. We look forward to receiving submissions on a range of subjects dealing with all aspects of
medieval Ireland, including archaeology, philology, theology, literature, history, and art history. The journal includes book reviews and is available to members on JSTOR.
Deadline for submitting manuscripts for consideration in Eolas 9 has been extended to Dec. 1, 2015. Earlier submissions are encouraged. Further information and full style guide can be found at www.asims.org. Brief guidelines:
• Articles should be based on original research, and be between 7,000 and 10,000 words. • Please include a brief abstract of 50–150 words for the first page of the essay. • Submissions will be peer-‐reviewed and assessed by the editorial committee and an outside
double-‐blind reviewer, and returned within three months. • All accepted articles will be copy-‐edited by the editor before publication, but any article
requiring substantial revision will be sent back for editing. • Please use Chicago style, with footnotes. • Illustrations must be completed to publication standard and submitted electronically at not
less than 600dpi resolution; line drawings must not be less than 1200 dpi. Contributors are responsible for securing all rights and permissions for images upon acceptance.
• Please submit articles electronically as Word files to the General Editor, Larissa Tracy: [email protected]
All queries regarding book reviews, should be sent to Cathy Swift: [email protected]
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ASIMS announces two prizes The American Society of Irish Medieval Studies announces two prizes – one for a graduate paper and the other for a published essay – in Irish medieval studies. Both are only open to ASIMS members and will be awarded at the International Congress on Medieval Studies at Kalamazoo in May 2016.
• The ASIMS/Four Courts Press Michael Adams Prize will be awarded for the best essay/article in Irish medieval studies published in a book or journal during 2015. The prize is open to anyone from students to senior academics. Entries must be submitted by March 25. Preferred submission format is pdf email attachment; if submitting by post, send four paper copies to Dr. Westley Follett, Dept. of History, University of Southern Mississippi, 730 East Beach Blvd, Long Beach, MS 39560. Email: [email protected]. The entries will be judged by a panel consisting of a representative of Four Courts Press, a representative of ASIMS, and a chairperson nominated by Four Courts Press and ASIMS. The award carries a $500 prize, and a summary of the article will be printed in Eolas.
• The ASIMS Barry Prize, named in honor of Professor Terry Barry, TCD, in recognition of his lifelong commitment to graduate student scholarship, is an annual prize awarded for the best conference paper on a subject of relevance to Irish Medieval Studies delivered by a graduate student. The prize is open to graduate students from any field who either have presented or have written and intend to present a paper on a subject of relevance to Irish Medieval Studies at any conference during the year beginning with the Kalamazoo Congress in May 2015 and ending with the Kalamazoo Congress of 2016. Submissions will be judged by a panel drawn from the ASIMS committee at the forthcoming Kalamazoo Congress. The winning paper will be announced at the annual Kalamazoo ASIMS dinner, and the winner will be contacted in writing. The prize will consist of a check for reimbursement of the current year’s Kalamazoo registration fee or a check of equivalent value. The winner must submit a summary of the presentation for publication in Eolas. Especially worthy entries may also be considered for eventual publication in the journal. Entrants must submit proof of current graduate status and a pdf copy of the paper by April 15, 2016, to [email protected].
Visit www.asims.org for membership information.
Irish Texts Society discount for CSANA members
CSANA and the Irish Texts Society have agreed on a collaboration: in return for our helping announce ITS works, CSANA members in good standing will receive a 33
percent discount on ITS publications.
The Irish Texts Society continues to be a leader in the publication of scholarly editions and translations of Irish texts. ITS most recent “Main Series” (texts and translations) volume is Anathomia Gydo (ed. Eithne Ní Ghallchobhair, 2014), the only surviving medieval surgical text to have been translated into Early Modern Irish. Its most recent subsidiary series (lectures on past Main Series titles) volume is Buile Suibhne: Perspectives and Reassessments (ed. John Carey, 2014). ITS also is
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publishing, in fascicles, the ongoing Historical Dictionary of Gaelic Placenames, ed. Pádraig Ó Riain, Diarmuid Ó Murchadha and Kevin Murray.
To take advantage of the partnership, go to the ITS website, www.irishtextssociety.org, where the full catalogue of ITS publications can be found. When ordering, you will be transferred to the Royal Irish Academy website where ITS books are listed with their prices. Enter the word "texts" in the box entitled "coupon code," and CSANA members in good standing will receive the 33 percent discount.
For questions about, or problems related to, ordering ITS volumes with the CSANA member discount, please contact CSANA Secretary/Treasurer Elissa R. Henken, [email protected].
Visiting Fellowship at Boston College-‐Ireland
Applications are invited for the William B. Neenan, S.J. Visiting Fellowship at Boston College-‐Ireland during 2016. The Fellowship is named to honor the work of Fr. Neenan, who first came to Boston College in 1979 as the first Thomas I. Gasson Professor. He served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1980 to 1987
before assuming the role of academic vice president and dean of faculties. During his tenure, the University established itself among the nation’s top institutions of higher education. Since 1998, he has been vice president and special assistant to the president.
The Fellowship is open to any scholar working in the field of Irish Studies who needs time to research in Dublin. The Fellowship can be held at any time during 2016 but must be held for a minimum of two months. The Fellow will be awarded a stipend of €5,000 and have an office in the Boston College-‐Ireland building and administrative support. The Fellow will also work with Boston College-‐Ireland to stage a one-‐day research symposium based around their research interests.
Closing date is Dec. 4, 2015. To apply, please send curriculum vitae plus an explanation of the research and details of proposed outputs to Professor Mike Cronin, [email protected].
CSANA Yearbooks for sale
Volumes 1-‐7 of the CSANA Yearbook are available at half price for CSANA members; please see the order form at the end of this newsletter for information on how to
order. These volumes are published by Four Courts Press and cost $50-‐70, depending on the volume number.
Volumes 8/9, 10, and 11/12 (8/9 and 11/12 are double volumes in honor of Edgar Slotkin and Daniel Melia, respectively) can be ordered directly from Colgate University Press. Please visit http://www.colgatebookstore.com/ and enter “CSANA Yearbook” in the search bar at the top right of the screen. These volumes cost $35.
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Folklore CFP The journal Folklore invites submissions of original work not being considered elsewhere. We publish articles by scholars from a wide range of adjacent disciplines
(e.g. anthropology, Celtic studies, history, human geography, linguistics, literature, psychology, and religion), as long as the topic and approach are of interest and relevance to folklorists. CSANA members might note that the two most recent issues between them contain four articles by a total of six Celticists:
• In vol. 126, no. 1 (April 2015): o Natasha Sumner, Barbara Hillers, & Catherine McKenna, “A Night of Storytelling and
Years in the ‘Z-‐Closet’: The Re-‐discovery and Restoration of Oidhche Sheanchais, Robert Flaherty’s ‘Lost’ Irish Folklore Film.”
• In vol. 126, no. 2 (August 2015): o Gregory Darwin, “On Mermaids, Meroveus, and Mélusine: Reading the Irish Seal
Woman and Mélusine as Origin Legend.” o Kristen Mills, “An Irish Motif in Guta Saga.” o Adam Coward, “Edmund Jones and the Pwcca’r Trwyn.”
Folklore publishes full-‐length articles (max. 12,000 words); shorter, accessibly written “Topics, Notes, & Comments” pieces (max. 5,000 words); and annotated “Text Editions” (max. 12,000 words). More information at: www.folklore-‐society.com/publications/folklore, or email the Editor at: [email protected].
CMCS Publications discounts on books CMCS Publications (Aberystwyth) is offering reduced prices on several publications through the end of 2015. An order form for these books can be obtained by emailing [email protected] with the subject heading “Celtic Philology Sale.” Available books and their prices (including postage) are:
• Juvencus: Codex Cantabrigiensis. A Ninth-‐Century Manuscript Glossed in Welsh, Irish and Latin. Facsimile edition with Introduction by Helen McKee (2000). vi + 53 fols. ISBN 0-‐9527478-‐1-‐2. £15
• PTOLEMY: Towards a Linguistic Atlas of the Earliest Celtic Place-‐Names of Europe: Papers from a Workshop Sponsored by the British Academy. Ed. David N. Parsons and Patrick Sims-‐Williams (2000). ix + 188 pp. ISBN 0-‐9527478-‐3-‐9. £15
• Place-‐Names in Ptolemy’s Geography: An Electronic Data Base with Etymological Analysis of the Celtic Name-‐Elements. G. R. Isaac (2004) [Windows-‐ and Macintosh-‐compatible CD-‐ROM, including Place-‐Names in the Antonine Itineraryas an appendix] £12 > £10
• Celtic Dacia: Personal Names, Place-‐Names and Ethnic Names of Celtic Origin in Dacia and Scythia Minor, 2nd edition. Alexander Falileyev (2009). xiv + 183 pp., 4 maps. ISBN 978-‐0-‐9557182-‐2-‐9 (Out of print; this cheap price is for copies in which a few pages were bound out of order.) £10
• Dictionary of Continental Celtic Place-‐Names: A Celtic Companion to the Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Alexander Falileyev, in collaboration with Ashwin E. Gohil &
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Naomi Ward (2010). viii + 279 pp. ISBN 978-‐0-‐9557182-‐3-‐6 (Out of print; this cheap price is for copies in which a few pages of the bibliography were bound out of order.) £10
• The Celtic Balkans Alexander Falileyev (2013). xii + 182 pp., 5 maps. ISBN 978-‐0-‐9557182-‐4-‐3. £15
• A Corpus of Latin Inscriptions of the Roman Empire Containing Celtic Personal Names. Selected, ed. and trans. by Marilynne E. Raybould and Patrick Sims-‐Williams (2007). ix + 284 pp., 2 maps. ISBN 978-‐0-‐9527478-‐7-‐1. £15
• Introduction and Supplement to the Corpus of Latin Inscriptions of the Roman Empire Containing Celtic Personal Names. Marilynne E. Raybould and Patrick Sims-‐Williams (2009). viii + 344 pp., 16 maps. ISBN 978-‐0-‐9557182-‐1-‐2. £15
• Dating Medieval Welsh Literature: Evidence from the Verbal System. Simon Rodway (2013). ii + 344 pp. ISBN 978-‐0-‐9557182-‐5-‐0. £20
• Legendary Poems from the Book of Taliesin. Second, fully revised edition. Ed. and trans. by Marged Haycock (2015). viii + 560 pp. ISBN 978-‐0-‐9557182-‐8-‐1. £30
• Prophecies from the Book of Taliesin. Ed. & trans. by Marged Haycock (2013). viii + 200 pp. ISBN 978-‐0-‐9557182-‐7-‐4. £20
• H. M. Chadwick and the Study of Anglo-‐Saxon, Norse and Celtic in Cambridge. Ed. Michael Lapidge (2015) ix + 278 pp. ISBN 978-‐0-‐9557182-‐9-‐8. £25
Conferences
UC Celtic Studies Conference CFP Proposals for 20-‐minute academic papers on any aspect of Celtic Studies are invited for the 38th annual University of California Celtic Studies Conference, scheduled March 10-‐13, 2016, at UCLA (Royce 314). Proposals should be between a paragraph and a full (single-‐spaced) page and indicate any AV needs. Proposals should be e-‐
mailed to [email protected] and will be accepted until Jan. 4, 2016. Authors of proposals that are accepted will be informed by Jan. 15.
Invited presenters include: • Clodagh Downey, NUI Galway • Rob Dunbar, University of Edinburgh • Eric Falci, UC Berkeley • Aaron Griffith, Utrecht University • Séamus Mac Giolla Chomhaill, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, ROI • Aidan O’Sullivan, NUI Dublin • David Parsons, Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies, Aberystwyth • Máirín Seoighe, Scannáin Dobharchú
A welcoming reception is scheduled the afternoon of March 10 in Royce 306, and a conference banquet will be Saturday evening, venue and price TBA. The preliminary program and further
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information will be posted on the “events” page of the CMRS website, http://cmrs.ucla.edu/events/. Interested parties may also contact Professor Joseph F. Nagy at [email protected] or Dr Karen Burgess at [email protected].
Information about lodgings close to the campus can be found at http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/tours/accommodations.htm
The UCLA Celtic Colloquium and the organizers of this conference gratefully acknowledge the support of the UCLA Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, the Department of English, the Indo-‐European Studies Graduate Program, and the Humanities Division.
Australian Celtic Studies Conference CFP Submissions are invited for 20-‐minute papers for the Ninth Australian Conference of Celtic Studies, scheduled Sept. 27-‐30, 2016, at the University of Sydney. Papers can address any scholarly aspect of Celtic Studies, including, but not limited to: archaeology, folklore, history (including modern diaspora
history), language, literature (including literature in English) and music.
Abstracts of up to 250 words should be emailed no later than May 2, 2016, to Professor Jonathan Wooding: [email protected]. Acceptances will be communicated two weeks later. Potential contributors in need of earlier acceptance (for funding applications) may request it with their submissions. Potential participants are invited to have their names added to a conference database from which organizers will send updates and reminders of approaching deadlines.
The 2016 Australian Conference of Celtic Studies is jointly sponsored by the Foundation for Celtic Studies of the University of Sydney and the Humanities Research Centre of the Australian National University. All sessions will be held on University of Sydney’s Main Campus in Camperdown, Sydney.
Ulidia V CFP
Proposals are invited for Ulidia V, the Fifth International Conference on the Ulster Cycle of Tales, scheduled March 18-‐20, 2016, at NUI Maynooth. This is an interdisciplinary conference and the organizers, the Maynooth University School of
Celtic Studies, would welcome proposals for papers or sessions on any aspect of the Ulster Cycle (literature, language, history, archaeology, the Cycle’s modern reception in literature and the broader culture, etc.).
Those wishing to read a 20-‐25 minute paper at Ulidia V should submit a 200-‐word synopsis to the organizers ([email protected]) before Jan. 8, 2016. Proposals for sessions of three thematically-‐related papers are also welcome. The conference will include several plenary lectures.
For more information, visit www.maynoothuniversity.ie/Ulidia5.
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CSANA at Kalamazoo 2016 Fred Suppe of Ball State University has organized a CSANA-‐sponsored panel at the 2016 International Medieval Studies Congress May 12-‐15 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Suppe will preside over the panel, which includes:
• “Ideals of Scottish Identity and Monarchy in Andrew of Wyntoun’s Orygynale Cronykil,” Marian Toledo Candelaria and Shayna Devlin, University of Guelph
• “Mindful of Her Sex: Bishop Brigit and Her Biographers,” Shane Lordan, University College Dublin
• “Johanna, Domina Walliae: Power of a Title,” Alexis Robertson, Ball State University
Early Medieval Seafaring in the North Atlantic CFP
Proposals are sought for “Seafaring: an early medieval conference on the islands of the North Atlantic,” to be held Nov. 3-‐5, 2016, at the University of Denver in Colorado. “Seafaring” is a three-‐day national conference that aims to bring together scholars of early medieval Ireland, Britain, and Scandinavia to imagine cooperative,
interdisciplinary futures for the study of North Atlantic archipelagos during the early medieval period. “Seafaring” invites proposals for seminars (due Dec. 15, 2015) and workshops/forums (due March 15, 2016).
Designed less around traditional conference presentations than as a “workspace,” “Seafaring: an early medieval conference on the islands of the North Atlantic” invites proposals that will engage participants in mini-‐tutorials, master classes, writing workshops, and learning laboratories — all of which are designed to widen their linguistic competence, interdisciplinary methods, geographic familiarity, and temporal scope within and beyond the early medieval period.
More information, including detailed submission guidelines, can be found at the conference website, http://www.du.edu/ahss/english/news-‐events/seafaring-‐conference.html, or by emailing [email protected].
Landscape and Myth in North-‐Western Europe The Institut für Nordische Philologie, Ludwig-‐Maximilians-‐Universität München, seeks proposals for 20-‐minute papers for a symposium April 6-‐8, 2016, on the relationship between landscape and myth in the medieval literatures and modern folklore of Iceland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the continental
Scandinavian countries.
The symposium will provide a venue to discuss topics such as the sematisation of space through narratives about supernatural agents, especially the ascription of religious meaning to real-‐world landscapes and landscape features; sacral and mythological place names; the systematisation of place-‐name lore and associated supernatural elements in works such as the Icelandic Landnámabók
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or the Irish collections of dinnshenchas material; the use of landscape in extensive fictional narratives with strong supernatural elements that are not place-‐name stories as such, but whose plot moves through densely charged real-‐world landscapes (such as Bárðar saga or Táin Bó Cúailnge); diachronic changes in and competing contemporary interpretations of the supernatural place-‐lore attached to specific landscapes and landscape features; the relationship between “folkloric” place-‐lore and medieval literature; or the relationship between Christian and “pagan” lore in the mythological semantisation of landscape.
The conference hopes to further research on the relationship between mythical narratives and real-‐world landscapes throughout the area of the medieval Norse expansion in “North Atlantic Europe,” including both questions about the relationship between myth, literature, and real-‐world landscapes, and any intercultural connections that might exist between the place-‐lore traditions of the Norse and Celtic countries.
Proposals of no more than 400 words should be sent by Dec. 31, 2015, to Dr Matthias Egeler, Institut für Nordische Philologie, LMU Munich ([email protected]). The conference language will be English, and its proceedings will be published as an edited volume.
Keynote lectures will be presented by Stefan Brink (Aberdeen), Terry Gunnell (Reykjavík), and Gregory Toner (Belfast).
Brittany-‐Scotland conference CFP
Proposals for 20-‐minute papers are being accepted for the third “Brittany and the English-‐Speaking World” conference scheduled June 30 to July 1 at Brest, UBO. This year’s theme is “Brittany-‐Scotland,” and it follows on the successful 2012 Brittany-‐Cornwall and 2014 Brittany-‐Ireland conferences organized by the Centre de Recherche Bretonne et Celtique (CRBC) at the University of Brest. The conference, jointly organized by the CRBC (Héritage et Construction dans le Texte et l’Image), the University of Edinburgh, the University of Glasgow and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, University of the Highlands and Islands, will bring together scholars from a broad range of disciplines in Brittany, Scotland, and beyond. It will explore relationships and parallels between the two regions/nations, bringing into new focus their shared histories, their multilingual identities and cultures (Breton/Gallo/French;
Gaelic/Scots/English) and their responses to shifting cultural and socio-‐economic circumstances.
Topics may include:
• historical, cultural, and economic networks, exchanges, and relationships • language, language shift, and linguistics in Brittany and Scotland • language policies and minority-‐language education in Brittany and Scotland • literatures of Brittany and Scotland; travel literature of Brittany and the Highlands • conceptions of Brittany and the Highlands as “on the periphery” • 18th-‐ and 19th-‐century reception of Romantic literature in Brittany and Scotland • church and language, devotion and hagiography in Brittany and Scotland;
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• contemporary concepts of “Celtic spirituality” in Brittany and Scotland • archaeology, material culture, and visual culture in Brittany and Scotland • representations of Brittany and Scotland in the visual arts • cultural, musical, and linguistic revivals in Brittany and Scotland • contemporary cultural exchanges between Scotland and Brittany • pan-‐Celticism in Brittany and Scotland • folklore collection and archives in Brittany and Scotland • comparative exploration of literature, folklore, dance, and song in Brittany and Scotland • theatre, drama, and performance in minority-‐language cultures in Brittany and Scotland • minority-‐language publishing in Brittany and Scotland • shipbuilding and the maritime environment and economy in Brittany and Scotland • the slave trade, privateering, and piracy in Brittany and Scotland • conceptions of the imperial in Scotland and Brittany • Brittany and Scotland in wartime • Breton and Scottish diasporas, urban and/or overseas • Brittany and Scotland and Europe – historical and contemporary
Papers interrogating the relationships between Scotland and Brittany throughout the centuries will be accepted in English, French, Scottish Gaelic and Breton. Proposals of no more than 200 words and a 50-‐word biographical note should be sent by Dec. 15 to camille.manfredi@univ-‐brest.fr. Scheduled guest writers include Breton-‐American playwright and scholar Paol Keineg and Scottish poet Chrstine De Luca.
Second Poznań conference Proposals are being accepted for the second Poznań Conference of Celtic Studies, scheduled July 5-‐6, 2016, at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland. The organizers invite established scholars as well as young researchers in Celtic Studies to submit paper proposals (max. 300-‐350 words plus bibliography) for talks of 20
minutes plus ten minutes of discussion. Please submit your paper proposals using the EasyChair system (https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=pccs2) or via email [email protected]. The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2016. The language of the conference is English.
The aim of this conference is to provide a platform for the discussion of current research within Celtic Studies. The suggested research areas for the block sessions are:
• various aspects of linguistics (sociolinguistics, phonology, historical linguistic, etc.) • language revitalization, planning and maintenance • Modern Welsh / Irish / Gaelic / Breton literature • Medieval Welsh / Irish literature • Celts in Poland • Celtic diaspora in Poland • Archeology • Teaching of Celtic languages • Cultures of the Celtic countries
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Selected papers will be published in the second volume of Studia Celtica Posnaniensia, a Celtic Studies journal launched by the Department of Celtic Languages and Literatures.
The conference is organized by members of the Department of Celtic Languages and Literatures at the Faculty of English, Adam Mickiewicz University. Visit https://poznanconference.wordpress.com/ for more information.
Irish language literature and Irish history
The Irish Language Program of the Department of Languages and Literatures at CUNY Lehman College seeks proposals for papers at a symposium titled “Irish Language Literature and Irish History,” scheduled Feb. 19-‐20 at CUNY Lehman. The symposium’s aim is to bring together researchers and students of Irish language
literature and Irish history. Proposals of 250 words for 20-‐minute papers should be sent to [email protected]. The organizers also seek three-‐person panels focusing on a common topic. Proposals should include the name of the participant, his or her academic affiliation, contact information and the title of the paper. Please also indicate any multimedia needs. Papers and proposals will be accepted in Irish or English.
Deadline for proposals is Dec. 1, 2015, and notices of acceptance/rejection will go out by Jan. 1, 2016. Presenters must pay a registration fee of $50, which includes one continental breakfast and two lunches as well as tea/coffee breaks.
Visit www.lehmangaeilge.org/#jobs for more information.
British Museum hosts “Celtic Revival”
The British Museum is hosting a conference on “Celtic Revival: authenticity and identity,” scheduled Jan. 16-‐17, 2016, at the Stevenson Lecture Theatre. Tickets are £50 and can be booked at http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar/event_detail.aspx?even
tId=2642&title=Celtic%20Revival:%20authenticity%20and%20identity&eventType=Conference.
Although the Celtic Revival is usually associated with the late 19th century, this conference will demonstrate how it constitutes a whole series of revivals, beginning in the medieval period and continuing into the modern.
Leading art and design historians, archaeologists and curators will present the Celtic Revival as a rewriting, recreation and reimagining of the past. Central to these discussions will be the themes of national and cultural heritage and identities, authenticity and innovation, and the network of “Celtic” connections that span time, space, media, disciplines and national/cultural borders.
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Book Reviews
Elizabeth Boyle and Deborah Hayden (eds). Authorities and Adaptations: the Reworking and Transmission of Textual Sources in Medieval Ireland. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 2014. ISBN: 978-‐1-‐85500-‐225-‐8. Pp: xlvii + 361 + 8 plates. € 35
If students of early medieval Irish history and literature were reliant solely on textual sources surviving in manuscripts written in the early Middle Ages, the pickings would be very slim indeed. This is especially the case with regards to the vernacular literature for which early Ireland is so renowned, only the faintest traces of which survive in manuscripts written before the twelfth century. Over the centuries, as they were copied and recopied, some early texts attracted explanatory glossing and commentary, while others were altered and updated to meet contemporary requirements. The balancing of the authority of the past with the needs of the present was not only a concern of copyists, however. Medieval authors were keenly aware of their status as heirs to a great textual tradition, and wrote with one eye firmly on the work of their predecessors, both Irish and foreign. By citing from or alluding to older works, they sought to imbue their compositions with the authority of antiquity. Thus, the past, in the form of older textual sources, exerted constant influence on the work of medieval Irish scholars. In this sense, the “backward look” characterizes legal, grammatical, and exegetical, as well as literary texts from the period.
The dynamic relationship between the past and the present in medieval Irish textual sources, in its various manifestations, is the subject of this insightful and stimulating collection of essays, the fruit of a research workshop held at the University of Cambridge in 2011. As the authors acknowledge in their introduction – a thorough and perceptive treatment of the main theme – there is no single answer to the question of how authority and adaptation interacted in medieval Irish texts. One of the benefits of this volume, however, is that in presenting us with a series of case studies on texts of different dates and genres, it allows its readers to see some of the variety of ways the past and the present interacted in medieval Irish texts.
Ruairí Ó hUiginn sets the tone with an excellent assessment of the development of a legendary history for Connacht in tales of the Ulster cycle written in the later medieval period. Focusing on the use of anatomical metaphor in Auraicept na néces, Deborah Hayden identifies close links between Irish and Latin grammatical traditions. Paul Russell has been at the forefront of the recent shift in scholarly attitudes towards the glosses and commentaries that often accompany Old Irish texts in later manuscripts, and his contribution here continues in this vein by demonstrating how fruitful the study of glossing can be in revealing medieval scholarly methods. The term he introduces here to describe the non-‐linear way in which new commentaries could become incorporated into older ones, “nesting,” is likely to become a commonplace in
future discussions of the topic. Thomas Charles-‐Edwards considers the textual transmission of Bretha comaithchesa, one of the few Old Irish legal texts to survive in more than a single manuscript. Like several of his co-‐contributors, his essay stems from an on-‐going project to edit the text. He describes as “satellites” early supplements to the main text of the law that are not about the law – like glosses
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and commentaries – but make additions or alterations to it, suggesting that the original text was not always as revered, or as stable, as it would later become. Pádraig Ó Néill discusses Airbertach Mac Cosse’s poem on the Psalter and argues that biblical exegesis was still a living tradition in Ireland in the Middle Irish period. Brent Miles follows a similar line in his consideration of the Middle Irish Sermo ad reges, but while Ó Néill sees Mac Cosse’s simplification of older material as a sign of the pedagogical purpose of his poem, Miles views a similar tendency in the Sermo as evidence that scholarly standards had dropped since the Golden Age of Irish exegesis. Erich Poppe identifies the sources, both Latin and Irish, used by the author of the text known as “Christ’s first teaching.” Hugh Fogarty’s study of intertextuality in the Middle Irish prose saga Aided Guill meic Carbada 7 Aided Gairb Glinne Rige identifies several episodes in the narrative that reflect the author’s knowledge of other stories and that were deployed, Fogarty argues, to challenge his audience’s assumptions. Geraldine Parsons attempts to situate the Hill of Allen within Fenian literature and argues that one of the difficulties in doing so is that the extant texts might have been influenced by oral and textual sources that do not survive. Elizabeth Boyle’s discussion of De mirabilibus Hibernie sets the poem more firmly within the genre of texts describing signs and wonders, and identifies a range of sources, both Irish and foreign, that the poet reworked into a novel form. Máire Ní Mhaonaigh examines the use of citations from older verse material in Cogadh Gáedhel re Gallaib, and notes how such citations were intended to give the prose sections of the work a greater aura of authority, even when the poems cited were not of any great antiquity. Kevin Murray’s concluding essay looks at the central theme through a broader lens, and identifies the themes of authority and adaptation as central issues in textual transmission generally. The cumulative effect of these perceptive and penetrating essays is to illuminate some of the ways Irish scholars engaged with their textual inheritance, and to stimulate ideas and questions in the reader.
A common thread running through this collection is that medieval Irish scholars were less constrained by generic boundaries than are some modern students – exegetes were also historians, grammarians read medical tracts, and glossators were at home dealing with legal as well as poetic sources. It is pleasing to see the same approach reflected in this volume, in which essays on law, literature, grammar, and exegesis sit alongside one another. In this regard, as in many others, Authorities and Adaptations makes a significant contribution to our appreciation of the intellectual culture of medieval Ireland.
Patrick Wadden Belmont Abbey College and Harvard University
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Grigory Bondarenko. Studies in Irish Mythology. Berlin: Curach Bhán publications, 2014. 287 pp. €35/$40. ISBN 978-‐3-‐942002-‐15-‐8.
Studies in Irish Mythology contains 16 fascinating scholarly explorations of various aspects of early Irish literature, with a focus on the mythological substratum. These are aimed at providing the reader with materials that could be used in a tentative
reconstruction of the early Irish mythological worldview. Some of the topics that resurface in various guises throughout the book are divine knowledge, the symbolism of trees, the four/five cardinal directions, sacred kingship, the symbolism of roads, sacred geography, and beliefs pertaining to the soul. The collection of essays is followed by a comprehensive Bibliography, an Index of Personal Names and Ethnonyms, an Index of Places and Rivers, an Index of Texts and Manuscripts, and a General Index.
Some of the papers published here previously appeared in a variety of periodicals and conference proceedings (and have been reworked and updated for this collection), while others appear for the first time. Bondarenko pays attention to the medieval Irish context in which the source materials were composed and set down in writing, as well as to comparisons with Indo-‐European parallels and Eurasian mythologies. One of the many unique aspects of the book is its inclusion of research from Russia and beyond, providing numerous insights into Celto-‐Slavic comparanda. Bondarenko demonstrates a clear-‐sighted and open-‐minded approach to the materials, and he brings the oft-‐discussed but rarely agreed upon mythological elements to light in a refreshing and grounded manner.
While space precludes a thorough discussion of each and every chapter, many deserve detailed consideration. Chapter One, “Hiberno-‐Rossica: ‘knowledge in the clouds’ in Old Irish and Old Russian’” compares an example of formulaic similarity between Old Irish and Old Russian poetic speech, in which the texts contain references to “the faculty of cognition flying to (or beneath) high clouds, binding or weaving together.” A thoughtful discussion of shamanic parallels is also included. This chapter could lead the way into useful comparative research on these heady topics and well-‐known themes of divine vision and knowledge. Chapter Three, “Autochthons and otherworlds in Celtic and Slavic” explores in depth the cosmological association of otherworld beings with the Lower World in Old Irish sources, with an appendix on
Northern Russian and Finno-‐Ugric folklore.
The symbolism of trees, and their association with the four/five cardinal directions, as well as with kingship, are explored in the following four chapters: “The Significance of pentads in Early Irish and Indian Sources: the case of the five directions,” “The Five primeval trees in Early Irish, Gnostic and Manichaean cosmologies,” “The alliterative poem Eó Rossa from the Dindshenchas,” and “The Dindshenchas of Irarus: the king, the druid and the probable tree.” This section is highly recommended for its wide range of topics and approaches and for its fascinating insights into Celtic cosmology, arboreal symbolism (and poems related to such), ornithological symbolism, shamanic parallels, magic, divination, and the connections between the Otherworld and the ideal ruler.
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This section is followed by several chapters which focus on sacral kingship, discussing the figures of Conn Cétchathach and Conaire Mór, and exploring materials from AIrne Fingein, Audacht Morainn, Togail Bruidne Da Derga, and an alliterative poem from the Dindshenchas (Búaid Cuinn, rígróit rogaidi). Chapter 11, “Roads and Knowledge in Togail Bruidne Da Derga” was included in a recent collection of essays entitled Celtic Cosmology: Perspectives from Ireland and Scotland (ed. Borsje, Dooley, Mac Mathúna and Toner, PIMS, 2014), where it contributed in a substantial way to the body of fine essays contained therein.
The final chapters, while eclectic in terms of topics and themes, are also well worth reading: “Oral past and written present in ‘The Finding of the Táin,’” “The migration of the soul in Early Irish tales,” “Goidelic hydronyms in Ptolemy’s Geography: myth behind the name,” “Swineherd in Celtic lands,” and “Fintan mac Bóchra: Irish synthetic history revisited.” The discussions of the migration of the soul, and of the materials associated with Fintan were extremely interesting and well-‐presented, and the chapter pertaining to the symbolism of swineherds will be useful to anyone encountering these enigmatic figures in their own research. While it is commonplace to provide criticisms of works under review, it must be said that other than the occasional argument which did not totally convince, or a few papers which seemed to provide more of an introduction to a topic (rather than a fully-‐fleshed out exploration), overall Bondarenko should be commended for a highly readable, well-‐researched and visionary publication which both informs and inspires, and holds the reader’s attention throughout.
Sharon Paice MacLeod Eólas ar Senchas Research Project
Aidan O’Sullivan, Finbar McCormick, Thomas Kerr and Lorcan Harney. Early Medieval Ireland AD400-‐1100. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy, 2014. ISBN: 978-‐1-‐904890-‐60-‐7. 584 pages. GBP £78. US $120.
If one were only able to purchase a single book this year on Irish archaeological excavations of early medieval sites, it should be Early Medieval Ireland AD400-‐1100.
O’Sullivan, McCormick, Kerr and Harney have tackled a monumental body of evidence amassed from professional archaeological excavations undertaken from 1930-‐2012. By producing this text, the authors have made many previously poorly documented sites more widely available as a body of evidence in their own right.
The work is organized thematically and begins with the background of the Early Medieval Archaeology Project, funded by the Irish National Strategic Archaeological Research program. The aim of this was to specifically address the wealth of Irish early medieval excavated material that remained unpublished over the decades. The text then moves on to contextualize the history of Irish archaeological research itself, thus providing a very accessible historiography for those less familiar with the topic. This succinctly accomplished, the evidence itself is presented. By far the greatest amount of description has been devoted to evidence for human habitations and settlements. The important terminology shifts occurring over the history of archaeological excavation in Ireland are
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included in this discussion. This chapter in particular is very well illustrated by site plans, color photography and reconstruction drawings.
Ecclesiastical evidence is presented in as logical a fashion as possible. Admittedly that is a tall order as unlike settlement excavations, ecclesiastical excavations have been limited in scope in the past in a variety of ways. Some of this is linked to ongoing site use since the medieval period. Other aspects are linked to a focus on particular monastic site types within the landscape of southwest Ireland in particular, such as Church Island and Illaunloughan in Co. Kerry. Elsewhere site excavation has been linked to modern construction work – situations which necessitated smaller partial excavations of ecclesiastical sites rather than full excavation and interpretation.
Those who have previously read Fergus Kelly’s Early Irish Farming will find this a refreshing overview of archaeological finds of medieval agricultural practice and technology. The sites themselves, as with the presentation of settlement evidence, are well illustrated by well-‐executed site plans and aerial photography. However, if one is unfamiliar with farming practices, the sheer amount of information presented may be sometimes a bit confusing. This is not repeated with regard to craft and technology discussion as it is beautifully illustrated with small finds, maps, site plans and reconstruction.
Trade and exchange evidence presentation is supported by a very extensive and thorough collection of tables in the Appendix. The discussion contextualizes the tiered economic system present from the Late Iron Age through the medieval period succinctly but well. The wealth of tables illustrates the fluid nature of international economic exchange during the period. The tables themselves evidence the presence of Continental exotics such as Gaulish wine and Roman olive oil and also cover discussion of evidence for the early medieval Irish slave trade. Death and burial are treated in a similar fashion to evidence for human habitations – well contextualized and illustrated with very clear examples.
The authors clearly express the complexity of early medieval life and identity. The contextualization also frames and introduces the extent excavated evidence in such a manner that those who are not archaeologists will not be put off by jargon. It will doubtlessly serve as a highly useful textbook for years to come. O’Sullivan, McCormick, Kerr and Harney as well as all involved in the Early Medieval Archaeology Project should be very proud of their efforts. Early Medieval Ireland AD400-‐1100 is a beautiful and well-‐made book. The book contains many illustrations – the wealth of 82 years of professional excavation and documentation. Many illustrations are in color for clarity. The Appendix tables as well as the bibliography are highly extensive. Early Medieval Ireland AD400-‐1100 sets the goals of medieval archaeological publication very high, particularly when integrating material over time in this manner. The authors have produced a work of such scope and worth to medieval research that it is impossible to ignore it.
Dayanna Knight
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Call for news and book reviews CSANA seeks book reviews and announcements for its twice-‐a-‐year newsletter. If you would like to review a recent book for the newsletter, please let me know, and I will contact the publisher about obtaining a review copy. We welcome reviews of books on all aspects of Celtic Studies. We also welcome
any announcements that would be of interest to members: job ads, conferences, calls for papers, competitions and prizes, funding announcements, etc. The newsletter is published at Samain and Beltaine. Announcements and queries about book reviews can be sent to [email protected] (note one "L" in philip).
Books received that need a reviewer (though reviews of any recent books are welcome!):
• Four Tipperary Saints: The Lives of Colum of Terryglass, Crónán of Roscrea, Machaomhóg of Leigh and Ruadhán of Lorrha, Pádraig Ó Riain. Introductions, translations, and notes on the lives, with a list of manuscripts and editions.
• Latin Psalter Manuscripts in Trinity College Dublin and the Chester Beatty Library, Laura Cleaver and Helen Conrad O’Briain. “This volume examines Psalter manuscripts as objects, exploring how they were designed and the changes that have been made to them over time.”
• Englynion y Beddau: The Stanzas of the Graves, ed. and trans. John K. Bollard; photography by Anthony Griffiths. Text and translation from the Black Book of Carmarthen, with color photographs of places mentioned in the poems.
• Celtic Art in Europe: Making Connections, essays in honour of Vincent Megaw on his 80th birthday, ed. Chris Gosden, Sally Crawford and Katharina Ulmschneider.
• Seamus Heaney’s Regions, Richard Rankin Russell. The volume “radically transforms our understanding of the poet’s sense of place, his political consciousness, and his visionary art.”
• Yeats and Afterwords, ed. Marjorie Howes and Joseph Valente. The volume explores Yeats’s “powerful, multilayered sense of belatedness as part of his complex literary method.”
• Memory, Myth and Long-‐Term Landscape Inhabitation, ed. Adrian M. Chadwick and Catriona D. Gibson. “This [British archaeology focused] volume weaves recent theoretical considerations of memory, materiality and landscape with exciting evidence emerging from research and developer-‐funded archaeology, challenging existing methodologies and proposing new research questions for future fieldwork and post-‐excavation practice.”
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