REPEAT — Adomnán of Iona (St Columba Part 2 with Prof. Thomas Owen Clancy)

REPEAT — Adomnán of Iona (St Columba Part 2 with Prof. Thomas Owen Clancy)

Author: The Medieval Irish History Podcast September 23, 2024 Duration: 49:35

ICYMI! In order to celebrate the anniversary of Adomnán on the 23rd of September, we are re-uploading the episode discussing saint Adomnán, one of the successors of Columba and writer of the Vita Columbae, with Prof. Clancy (Professor of Celtic, University of Glasgow).

In this episode we focus on his primary monastic foundation, Iona, and his successor abbot Adomnán (d.704), famous in his own right as a saint, a stateman, a scholar, and a jurist. Prof. Clancy tells us about Adomnán's writings, including the Vita Columbae (The Life of Columba) and De Locis Sanctis (On the Holy Places), his diplomatic activities, his motivations and his methods. We also chat about the Loch Ness Monster, vikings, the Book of Kells and more.


Suggested reading/resources (see also part 1 ep. notes):

-Máire Herbert, Iona, Kells and Derry (1988)

-Thomas O'Loughlin, Adomnán at Birr, AD 697: essays in commemoration of the law of the innocents (2001)

- Jonathan M. Wooding, Rodney Aist, Thomas Owen Clancy, Thomas O'Loughlin (eds.), Adomnán of Iona: Theologian, lawmaker, peacemaker (Dublin, 2010).

- Thomas O'Loughlin, 'The library of Iona in the late seventh century: The evidence from Adomnán's 'De Locis Sanctis'', Ériu 45 (1994) 33–52

-Iona's Namescape project https://iona-placenames.glasgow.ac.uk/

-Adrián Maldonado on Columba's writing hut: https://theconversation.com/how-we-found-st-columbas-famous-writing-hut-stashed-in-a-cornish-garage-80778


Regular episodes every two weeks (on a Friday).

Email: medievalirishhistory@gmail.com

Twitter/X: @EarlyIrishPod

Supported by the Dept of Early Irish, Maynooth University, & Science Foundation Ireland/The Irish Research Council.

Views expressed are the speakers' own.

Production: Tiago de Oliveira Veloso Silva.

Logo design: Matheus de Paula Costa

Music: Lexin_Music


For anyone curious about the centuries often summarized as simply "Vikings and monks," The Medieval Irish History Podcast offers a far richer and more nuanced journey. Hosted by Dr. Niamh Wycherley, this series moves beyond the stereotypes to reveal a complex, dynamic, and surprisingly vibrant world. Each episode is built around a lively and engaging conversation with a leading expert, delving into specific aspects of a period that is frequently evoked yet deeply misunderstood. Listeners will hear discussions that unpack new and exciting research, challenging outdated narratives and bringing fresh perspectives to the forefront. The podcast serves as a direct line to the latest academic insights, exploring everything from politics and religion to daily life and material culture, all grounded in the landscape of medieval Ireland. It’s an invitation to reconsider what you think you know, presented through accessible and thoughtful dialogue. This podcast is supported by the Department of Early Irish at Maynooth University and Taighde Éireann, ensuring a foundation of scholarly rigor while remaining genuinely engaging for anyone with an interest in the past. The views expressed within each episode belong to the individual speakers, contributing to a multifaceted and authentic exploration of history.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

The Medieval Irish History Podcast
Podcast Episodes
1169: The English Conquest of Ireland with Dr Colin Veach [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:22
Happy St Brigit's weekend! (For links to Brigit content see below). Instead of Brigit we were eager to release an episode we recorded just before Christmas with the brilliant Dr Colin Veach, from the University of Hull,…
Fashion and clothing with Mairéad Finnegan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:32
In this episode, Niamh Wycherley interviews Mairéad Finnegan, a PhD researcher in Maynooth University, about dress, clothing and fashion in late medieval Ireland (12th to 16th centuries). Mairéad brilliantly paints a viv…
St Columbanus and the Merovingians with Dr Alexander O'Hara [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:32
Happy New Year! To soothe fragile minds after the Christmas break we are easing you in to 2025 with St Columbanus part 2 — a further, more relaxed, reflection, on the career and legacy of Irish monastic founder Columbanu…
Law and Society with Prof. Liam Breatnach [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:45
Happy Christmas everyone! In today's episode, Professor Liam Breatnach (Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), one of Ireland's leading experts on the Old/Middle Irish language, medieval Irish law (so-called Brehon Law)…
The Material World of Medieval Ireland with Dr Sharon Greene [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:39
Today, Dr Sharon Greene tells us how archaeologists explore how people lived in the past, what they believed and so on through the material remains they left behind. This can sometimes confirm or deny what the written re…
St Columbanus with Dr Alexander O'Hara [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:27
Happy anniversary to St Columbanus, famous as a monastic founder, and a symbol of a united Europe, who is remembered as having died on Nov 23rd in the year 615! (Happy birthday also to Dr O'Hara's wife! More info in epis…
Medieval Irish Manuscripts with Dr Chantal Kobel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:07
In this episode, we are joined by Dr Chantal Kobel (Department of Early Irish, Maynooth University) to chat all about medieval Irish manuscripts (literally documents written by hand) and the various specialists skills an…
Muirchertach Ua Briain with Anthony Candon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:48
This week we chat to Anthony Candon about one of the greatest men in Irish history — Muirchertach Ua Briain (c.1050–1119), king of Munster, arguably king of all Ireland, and great-grandson of Brian Bóru. Tony tells us al…
An Introduction to Medieval Irish Literature with Dr Elizabeth Boyle [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:18
Welcome back to the second season of The Medieval Irish History Podcast! We are very excited to be back with you all! Today, in our very first episode of the new season, we are back with Dr Elizabeth Boyle to talk little…
Bonus episode: Saint Brigid at 1500 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:31
This episode is excerpted from RTÉ Radio One's The History Show with Myles Dungan September 8th, 2024: https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22430394/ Thanks a million to Myles, producer Lorcan & the whole team for havin…