X-Nico

10 unusual facts about Old Irish


Ciarán Ó Cofaigh

He set up ROSG (Old Irish rosg, meaning eye) in 1998, a film and television company based in An Spidéal.

Dáire Drechlethan

Dáire Drechlethan "Dáire of the Broad Face" is a King of Tara listed in the Old Irish Baile Chuinn Chétchathaig.

Early Irish astrology

Little is known about this native system of astrology, as it is only described in a few Old Irish manuscripts, none of which have been published or fully translated.

Faildergdóit

He is said to have been the first king in Ireland whose subjects wore gold rings (Old Irish failge) on their hands.

Fredrik Otto Lindeman

Lindeman has translated Sagaen om Cú Chulainns sykeleie og Emers skinnsyke from Old Irish and Vardan og armenernes krig from Old Armenian for Thorleif Dahls kulturbibliotek.

Lámfhind

Lámfhind (Old Irish "White Hand"), son of Agnoman, (not the same Agnoman who was the father of Nemed) was, according to medieval Irish historical traditions, a mythical ancestor of the Milesians, who are said to have settled Ireland from the Iberian Peninsula and from whom the lineages of most of the traditional High Kings were traced.

Muinemón

He is said to have been the first king in Ireland whose followers wore golden torcs around their necks (his name may derive from Old Irish muin, neck).

Old Irish

Important Continental collections of glosses from the 8th and 9th century include the Würzburg Glosses (mainly) on the Pauline Epistles, the Milan Glosses on a commentary to the Psalms and the St Gall Glosses on Priscian's Grammar.

Slánoll

It is said that there was no disease during his reign (his name is explained as Old Irish slán, "whole, healthy"; oll, "great, ample").

Tuireann

In Irish mythology, Tuireann (Old Irish: Tuirenn or Tuirill Biccreo) was the father of Creidhne, Luchtaine and Giobhniu by Brigid.


Imbas forosnai

In Old Irish, Imbas imeans "inspiration," and specifically refers to the sacred poetic inspiration believed to be possessed by the fili (Old Irish: inspired, visionary poets) in Early Ireland.

Is acher in gaíth in-nocht...

Is acher in gaíth in-nocht... is an anonymous ninth-century poem in Old Irish.

Richard Bellings

Although Bellings is often considered a typical Old Englishman, he considered himself Irish and his writings show a good familiarity with Irish Gaelic, including the Old Irish texts such as the Lebor Gabála Érenn.

Richard Irvine Best

As a young man he went to Paris to study Old Irish, where he met Kuno Meyer and attended Henri d'Arbois de Jubainville's lectures at the Collège de France.