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Exploring the Insular Past through Art: The Portrayal of Medieval Life on Irish and Scottish Monuments

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The landscape of Ireland is dotted with numerous reminders of the country’s medieval history. The finest examples of the skilled craftsmanship of medieval Irish artists are the high crosses created between the eighth and tenth centuries, associated with ecclesiastical sites of particular importance at the time, and displaying an extensive repertoire of finely carved decoration on stone. These iconic monuments are a familiar sight across the Irish landscape, marking the importance of ancient sites from the early Middle Ages to present times. Designed to showcase intricate carvings featuring decorative motifs and figural scenes from Scripture, the high crosses of Ireland have been the subject of extensive study. The richness of the high crosses’ iconographic motifs reflects the extent of the religious and cultural training of artists and patrons in early medieval Ireland. Market Cross, Kells, Co. Meath. Photograph taken by the author. In early Ireland, the creation of any art object ...
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The Old Language Endures: Cymraeg in North America

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In the 1600s and 1700s, thousands left Cymru in search of a better life. Many landed in Pennsylvania, on the east coast of what is today the United States. According to Cymru Pennsylvania , this state retains the distinction of the highest Welsh-American population in the country still today, with about 150,000 claiming Welsh identity. Their early ancestors left their traces in the places they named: Bala Cynwyd, Berwyn, Lower and Upper Gwynedd, Narberth, North Wales, and Radnor.  Later immigration, however, moved further into the continental heartland. By the 1800s, Ohio was one of the primary destinations for new arrivals. You find fewer Welsh place names, but they’ve left their trace.  Follow Ohio’s Welsh Scenic Byway from Gallipolis to Jackson, and you will come across their old churches—including the Welsh Congregationalist Church in Oak Hill that was home to a Welsh-speaking congregation for more than 100 years, up until the mid-twentieth century. Today, it’s the home o...
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CODECS: The perfect resource for Celtic students

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Imagine that you’re writing a paper on a medieval Celtic text, and you want to know what has already been published on that text. Or, you are doing a course on medieval Irish palaeography, and you get confused by the insular script (been there). Fear not, because CODECS ( Collaborative Online Database and e-Resources for Celtic Studies), is here! CODECS is a great resource for everyone engaged with Celtic studies, and it can make your time as a student a whole lot easier. Therefore, you find a useful guide of using CODECS below, so you can see all the great things it has to offer! What is CODECS? CODECS, an acronym for Collaborative Online Database and e-Resources for Celtic Studies, is an online platform published by the  A. G. van Hamel Foundation for Celtic Studies . The A.G. van Hamel Foundation is a non-profit organisation based in the Netherlands. Named after the Dutch celticist who established the Chair of Celtic Studies at Utrecht University in 1923, the organisation p...
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What Happens to ‘Potential’ New Welsh Speakers?

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  I want you to imagine something. You're sixteen years old and you've just finished your compulsory education having spent all of your school life learning Welsh. You have practised the past participle, sung songs, prayed in Welsh, and even sat your Welsh exams. And now, you've left school with, let's say, an intermediate level of proficiency in the language. So is the experience of many school leavers in Wales. But slowly, you find that your opportunities to use Welsh have shrunk markedly. You've gone from using the language – even in little ways – on a daily basis to not at all. You forget which words to use and when, so your confidence drops. And you're now even less likely to use Welsh when the opportunity arises. Then, you leave Wales to attend university or look for work. People point out how 'Welsh' you sound and ask you if you can speak the language, but of course – like many young people – you just want to fit in. Over the years, your relations...
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