Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
  • Publication
    Early Irish history: the state of the art
    (Cambridge University Press, 2003)
    An analysis of the historiographical state of play in early medieval Irish studies.
    Scopus© Citations 5  751
  • Publication
    'The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing', Vols 4 and 5, and the Invention of Medieval Women
    (Edinburgh University Press, 2003)
    My focus will be on the first part of Volume IV, ‘Medieval to Modern, 600–1900’ (pp.1–457), especially on the sections dealing with early medieval Ireland. These contributions, and some relevant texts elsewhere, make up a relatively small proportion of the two volumes. Taken as a unit, however, they are the largest modern collection of early medieval texts in translation relating to Irish women. As such they are important: they present a substantial body of material together and in accessible format for the first time.
      213
  • Publication
    A Sailor on the Seas of Faith: The Individual and the Church in the Voyage of Mael Dúin
    (UCD Press, 2003)
    This article analyses the voyage tale Immram Maíle Dúin and considers its attitude towards revenge, forgiveness, the Church and secular society.
      470
  • Publication
    Transforming women in Irish hagiography
    (Brepols, 1995)
    The transformation of women is a common motif in early Irish literature. Three aspects will be dealt with, using mainly hagiographical sources. Initially there will be an exploration of the image of the sovereignty goddess. This will be followed by a discussion of the notion of a woman possessing a masculine soul, and finally, of the evidence for the transvestite saint. It will be argued that these represent aspects of the Irish church's ideology.
      767
  • Publication
    Powerful women or patriarchal weapons? Two medieval Irish saints
    (Brepols, 2001)
    The history of medieval Irish women is elusive, despite a rich variety of textual sources. These are often normative rather than descriptive and are a predominantly male clerical product. This paper will examine the dossiers of two female saints, both from Co Cork. It will ask whether we can identify female aspirations and female voices in the literary celebration of their careers. Are they models of female empowerment or do their representations ultimately support male power structures.
      1100
  • Publication
    Íte: patron of her people?
    (Brepols, 2000)
    St Íte, who flourished in the sixth century, founded the medieval Irish monastery of Killeedy, situated in Co Limerick. She was celebrated as a nurturer and protector of her people. This paper traces these representations and relate them to complex developments in the saint's cult and to the gendered language used to describe her. This language had its origins in early medieval Ireland as well as in the controversies of christian communities in the later Roman empire.
      246
  • Publication
    The salvation of the Individual and the salvation of society in Siaburcharpat Con Culaind
    (Four Courts Press, 2001)
    This paper examines the early Middle Irish tale Siaburcharpat Con Culaind in which St Patrick is helped in his missionary efforts by the phantom of the dead pagan hero Cú Chulainn. It analyses the role of saint and hero, considering their importance as representatives of ecclesiastical and secular communities.
      228
  • Publication
    Exiles from the Edge? The Irish Contexts of Peregrinatio
    (Palgrave, 2016-05)
    This chapter re-examines the contexts which shaped peregrinatio in Ireland: Was there a single idea of peregrinatio? What role did it play in Irish society and social memory? What about the forgotten peregrini of the north Atlantic?
      873