Library of the Royal Irish Academy

Poster showing a manuscript image and giving the following information: PUBLIC LECTURE: Dr Sarah Corrigan Newman Tàin Bò Cuailgne: How the Manuscript Tradition of the Irish Epic Ended, and Ended Up, in Melbourne. The St Mary’s Newman Academic Centre (SNAC), Manuscript Táin Bó Cuailnge (‘The Cattle Raid of Cooley’) is a nineteenth-century manuscript copy of the most famous Irish narrative of the Middle Ages. Although its oldest surviving copies were produced in the twelfth century, the story of the Táin is set in the first century, and it has been argued to have been written in several periods in between. This talk will highlight the dual significance of this beautiful manuscript by exploring the history of its contents, the physical object, and its creator, Seosamh Ó Longáin, the last official scribe of Ireland. Wednesday 11 March 2026 5–6pm Venue: The Oratory, Newman College, University of Melbourne, 887 Swanston Street, Parkville. Bookings / Free Entry Online: https://www.trybooking.com/DJULZ Email: outreach@snac.unimelb.edu.au Telephone: (03) 9342 1614

And will have more opportunity to talk about the fantastic project of getting @rialibrary.bsky.social MS 24 B 1 digitised and displaying and discussing it alongside the Newman College Táin manuscript here @unimelb.edu.au ...

Léacht iontach ar fad inniu le @pomuirch.bsky.social! 👏

An creideamh, an Ghaeilge agus na cnámha aduaine An scéal neamhghnách faoin tslí ar tharla sleachta Gaeilge a bheith scríofa ar chnámha beithígh

Léacht Am Lóin le @pomuirch.bsky.social amárach! Tuilleadh eolais anseo: www.tickettailor.com/events/royal...
Agus foilsíodh alt san Irish Times De Luain seo caite!
www.irishtimes.com/gaeilge/tuar...

New blog post: Táin Bó Cuailnge from Ireland to Australia and online! Read it now: www.ria.ie/blog/tain-bo...

@dias-isos.bsky.social @corrigans.bsky.social

Blagiontráíl nua: Táin Bó Cuailnge ó Éirinn go dtí an Astráil agus ar líne! Léigh anois! www.ria.ie/blog/tain-bo...

@dias-isos.bsky.social @corrigans.bsky.social

When you stare into a manuscript and the manuscript stares into you

Liber Flavus Fergusiorum - Royal Irish Academy RIA MS 23 O 48a, MS 23 O 48b (Cat. No. 476) A.D. 1437, A.D. 1440

Read more and view the digital images, provided by @dias-isos.bsky.social and copyright @ria.ie www.ria.ie/collections/... The MS of the Week is on display in the Reading Room of the Library this week from 10.00-16.30, Monday-Friday. No appointment or reader’s ticket is required.

An economical scribe has used a piece of vellum in which two large holes were formed during the preparation phase. Look carefully and you will see the scribe has written around the holes and that no text has been lost.

The manuscript of the week is RIA MS 23 O 48(b), Liber Fergus Fergusiorum. The 15th century manuscript is of Connacht provenance and from the names of places mentioned, written in Co. Roscommon.

Tomorrow (Friday) is the last chance to view: Casimir Markievicz, a Polish Artist in Bohemian Dublin (1903-1913). The exhibition area is inaccessible today due to events, but available 10am-5pm tomorrow. As it is last Friday of the month, the Cathach will be on display!
www.ria.ie/library/libr...

Cuir do thicéad in áirithe anois!!

An tseachtain seo chugainn i mBaile Átha Cliath 👇

**Please note the Library is closed today and the MS of the Week will be on display in the Reading Room this week from 10.00-16.30, Tuesday-Friday.**
No appointment or reader’s ticket is required to view the MS of the Week.

Aon amharc ar Éirinn: Gaelic families and their manuscripts - Royal Irish Academy An online exhibition exploring the themes of Seanchas ─ ‘the memory and narrative of Irish history as preserved and written from the early medieval period to the writing of histories of Ireland in the...

This manuscript has not yet been fully digitised, but you can read more about it in an online exhibition 'Aon amharc ar Éirinn: Gaelic families and their manuscripts': www.ria.ie/library/libr...

The manuscript of the week is RIA MS 23 D 17, the Ó Cléirigh Genealogies. The scribe of this mid-17th C genealogical manuscript was Cú Choigcríche Ó Cléirigh, one of the compilers of the Annals of the Four Masters.

Visit the Digital Archive of Irish Tontines here: www.ucd.ie/tontine/

Haliday Pamphlet and Tract Collections - Royal Irish Academy The pamphlet collections of Charles Haliday (1789-1866) are among the best known and most heavily used materials in the Royal Irish Academy Library.

The project has sourced information about the history of Irish tontines in a number of repositories and RIA Library was delighted to supply material from the Haliday Pamphlet collection for inclusion in the digital archive. www.ria.ie/collections/...

The project investigates the financial, cultural & societal impact of the tontine. The tontine is a financial scheme where the longest surviving person benefits most. They were used to raise capital for diverse purposes - public infrastructure projects, arts and education, and income-protection.

Read our new blog - Finances and Funerals: The Digital Archive of Irish Tontines! Dr Andrew McDiarmid @ucddublin.bsky.social is our guest contributor. His project 'Forgotten Funding' is funded by a @researchireland.ie Pathways Fellowship. www.ria.ie/blog/finance...

Oh dear! Looks like a neglectful reader in the past left this genealogy too close to the fireplace! 🤦‍♀️

Post-it note graphic on top of a black and white, blurred photo of a library reading room. The note says, "The library will be closed Monday 23 February".

Researchers will please note that the Library will be closed on Monday 23 February. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and would like to remind our patrons that information about planned closures can be found on our website: www.ria.ie/library/visi...

@ria.ie

The Worth Library's Research Fellowships for 2026 have just been advertised.

Find out more at edwardworthlibrary.ie/research-fel...

Please repost! @bodleian.ox.ac.uk @cerl-community.bsky.social @britishlibrary.bsky.social @wellcometrust.bsky.social @harvard.edu

😂

The Book of O’Lees / Book of Hy-Brasil - Royal Irish Academy RIA MS 23 P 10 (ii) (Cat. No. 453) 15th Century

Read more about the manuscript and view the digital images, provided by @dias-isos.bsky.social and copyright @ria.ie: www.ria.ie/collections/... The MS of the Week is on display in the Reading Room of the Library this week from 10.00-16.30, Monday-Friday. No appointment or reader’s ticket required.

...of his having been magically transported to the enchanted island and obtaining supernatural knowledge of medical cures. The unusual appearance of the book convinced some people of the validity of this story. However, the distinctive layout comes from the 12th century Arabic source text.

The Manuscript of the Week is RIA MS 23 P 10 (ii), the Book of O’Lees. It is named after the hereditary medical family who would have valued the diagnostic tables contained within. It is also known as the Book of Hy-Brasil due to a 17th century a member of the family telling a ‘wild story’...

We’re pleased to announce the appointment of Lynn Scarff as Executive Director of the Royal Irish Academy.

The President, Professor Pat Guiry, thanked Dr Siobhán O'Sullivan, who stepped down in 2025, for her commitment and contribution to the Academy: www.ria.ie/2026/02/06/l...

LAI Rare Books Group AGM & Annual Lecture. Dr Nora Moroney, exhibition curator "Benjamin Iveagh - a life in books". Online, Wed 18 Feb, at 12.00. The Group is also running an online rare books cataloguing course on Thurs, 26 Feb. Links below!

https://ow.ly/AJkB50YcJ8O

https://ow.ly/U9qM50YcJ8P

Animal rib bone covered in handwritten Irish text.

Bígí linn! Léacht Am Lóin le @pomuirch.bsky.social! Cnámha aduaine bíoblóra: Cnámh de chuid Thady Connellan i mbailiúchán an Acadaimh: www.tickettailor.com/events/royal...

The spring Library newsletter is live! Take a look to discover more about our current exhibition, upcoming events, blogs, podcasts, and more!
mailchi.mp/ria.ie/libra...