Irish Manuscripts from the Russell Library on line

The Russell Library at Saint Patrick's College, Maynooth houses one of Ireland's finest collections of manuscripts in the Irish language, the earliest of which dates from the 15th century.

The Collection includes about 300 manuscripts, and within this body, there are three major collections, those of John Murphy, Bishop of Cork (1815-47), Eugene O’Curry (1794-1862) and Laurence Renehan, President of Saint Patrick's College (1845-57). The predominant character of the writings is devotional and catechetical, with a rich vein of poetry and tales.

There is a published catalogue of the manuscripts. The first fascicle, by Fr Paul Walsh, appeared in 1943. The seven subsequent fascicles, were the work of Monsignor Pádraig Ó Fiannachta. Fascicles 7 and 8 comprise indexes. Details of the catalogues with addenda and further information on the collection may be found at http://library.may.ie/russell/collections/gaelic.shtml

The written corpus of the Irish language is comparatively small and therefore precious, and its conservation must be the chief concern of all. The Library at Saint Patrick's College has an on-going project for the conservation of its Gaelic manuscripts. Digitisation helps to protect them further while giving the advantage to readers of light, enlargement and accessibility.

Penelope Woods, Librarian, Russell Library, 2007

Click here to access the manuscripts which have been digitised