The Irish in Early Medieval Europe: Identity, Culture and Religion

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Description

Irish scholars who arrived in Continental Europe in the early Middle Ages are often credited with making some of the most important contributions to European culture and learning of the time, from the introduction of a new calendar to monastic reform. Among them were celebrated personalities such as St Columbanus, John Scottus Eriugena, and Sedulius Scottus who were in the vanguard of a constant stream of arrivals from Ireland to continental Europe, collectively known as 'peregrini'. The continental response to this Irish 'diaspora' ranged from admiration to open hostility, especially when peregrini were deemed to challenge prevalent cultural or spiritual conventions. This volume brings together leading historians, archaeologists, and palaeographers who providefor the first timea comprehensive assessment of the phenomenon of Irish peregrini in their continental context and the manner in which it is framed by modern scholarship as well as the popular imagination.

Reviews

This welcome and affordable book provides a much-needed new introductory overview of early Irish culture as it relates to continent culture in the sixth and seventh centuries. * James T. Palmer, University of St Andrews, UK *
The volume both reflects the direction of current scholarship and points to future avenues of research; the further reading section will help students pursue their own studies. The Irish in Early Medieval Europe is an accessible introduction that will deservedly feature on student reading lists and be a help to interested academics. * Ali Bonner, enach, FMRSI Reviews, Vol. 9 *

Author Bio

Roy Flechner is Lecturer in Early Medieval History at University College Dublin, Ireland. Sven Meeder is Lecturer in Medieval History at Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands.