Voyage literature and classical myths with Dr Brigid Ehrmantraut

This week we are joined by the brilliant Dr Brigid Ehrmantraut, Associate Lecturer in Latin and in the History of the British Isles, c.1100-1500, University of St Andrews, author of Classical Myth in Medieval Ireland. We learn all about the immrama, medieval Irish voyage literature, and where medieval Irish authors found their inspiration. Dr Ehrmantraut takes us through the otherworldly adventures of Bran, Brendan and Máel Dúin, explains why Irish authors loved the Latin poetry of Vergil and Lucan, and demonstrates how many classical texts went on to have vibrant afterlives and inspired new authors and audiences during the Middle Ages.

Suggested reading:

- Clarke MJ, (ed.), Torrance I, (ed.), Poppe E, (ed.), Classical Antiquity and Medieval Ireland: An Anthology of Medieval Irish Texts and Interpretations (London, 2024)

Find it Open Access here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/classical-antiquity-and-medieval-ireland-9781350333277/

- Ehrmantraut, Brigid, 'Vergil, voyage tales, and medieval Irish classicism revisited', Peritia 36 (2026) 191–217.

-Ehrmantraut, Brigid, Classical myth in medieval Ireland (Cambridge, 2025)

Regular episodes every month (on a Friday)

Email: medievalirishhistory@gmail.com

Producer: Tiago Veloso Silva

Supported by the Dept of Early Irish, Maynooth University & Taighde Éireann/Research Ireland.

Views expressed are the speakers' own.

Logo design: Matheus de Paula Costa

Music: Lexin_Music