Re‑issue of *The Irish Hand* taps renewed interest in medieval manuscripts

Historian Timothy O’Neill says the re‑issue of his illustrated paperback *The Irish Hand* comes as public fascination with early Irish manuscripts surges.

The National Museum of Ireland’s “Words on the Wave” exhibition ran in Dublin from May to October last year, showcasing 17 manuscripts on loan from the Abbey of St Gall in Switzerland. The display, the largest loan of its kind, attracted more than 120,000 visitors and will travel to Zurich in January.

In response, Cork University Press has brought back *The Irish Hand*, originally published in 1984 and updated in 2014, to explore the work of Irish scribes from the Book of Kells to the Cathach. O’Neill, whose calligraphy guide published by the Royal Irish Academy in 2024 sold thousands of copies, highlights both celebrated and lesser‑known texts, such as a 9th‑century copy of Priscian’s Latin Grammar with marginal notes between the scribes.

He stresses the importance of vellum – calfskin made from calves under 12 weeks old – as the medium that preserved Ireland’s written heritage before paper arrived in the 16th‑17th centuries. Examples like the 1,200‑year‑old Faddan More Psalter, discovered in a Tipperary bog, illustrate the durability of this material.

The new edition aims to meet the “great interest in the manuscripts” evident from the exhibition’s success.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Adam Noor / Pexels.