Celtic Studies

The twelfth century was a period of rapid change in Ireland as the English conquest and the resulting foundation of an English colony remade the political, social and economic landscape of the island. This development, and in particular the presence of a significant population of colonists, led to major shifts in the way that the Irish envisioned themselves as a group and the way in which they were described by their English neighbors. This course traces the ways in which the ethnic identities of Irishness and of Englishness (to which it was so often opposed in contemporary sources) evolved through the high and later middle ages. Students analyze primary sources from the period to reflect on questions of identity, the terminology of ‘race’ and ‘ethnicity’, and what it meant to be ‘Irish’ in the middle ages.

King Arthur and the legends surrounding him are known from medieval times throughout Western Europe, but his origin is as a Welsh folk hero. This course traces the earliest development of the Arthurian legend from its Welsh beginnings. The Celtic origin of the theme of the Holy Grail is examined also, as well as the Welsh origin of the character of Merlin. Original sources in translation form the basis of study for all these topics. Apart from one essential book, the necessary study resources are provided in class.

This course gives an overview of the early history of the Celtic-speaking peoples in Britain. After outlining what is known of Late Iron Age Britain, the course studies the wide-ranging changes caused by Roman Conquest, and examines what can be learned from various types of evidence about aspects of daily life, art and religion. When the Romans left it considers what was their enduring legacy, and what the newly independent Britain was once again like before the arrival of a new external threat with the coming of Germanic speakers, the ancestors of the English. These are the 'Dark Ages' in terms of scanty direct textual documentations, when traditions associated with the enigmatic but influential figure of Arthur developed. The course also examines the emergence of new kingdoms and sees how Christianity spread over the whole land. Finally it looks at the languages and written culture of late antique and early medieval Britain, starting with the earliest evidence of the British Celtic languages such as curse tablets and burial stones, but focusing on medieval Welsh literature, such as the heroic poems and the magical Mabinogion narratives, which are read in translation.

In this course, students learn about the pronunciation and the syntax of the Irish language. Students develop listening skills through listening comprehension tasks, through oral activities and through creating speaking opportunities in class. Oral themes that meet the requirements of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (Level A1) are acquired. Students are enabled to provide short and simple conversations based on themes relating to their own lives. Students are asked to reflect on their own learning process by being aware of the different learning strategies that they apply and by discussing in class the challenges they face and how they overcome these challenges.

This course examines the anonymous song-poetry which stands in contrast to the 'court' tradition of panegyric and learned poetry of the 17th century. Neglected by most of the early collectors, it has been regarded by some critics as containing some of the most powerful Gaelic poetry extant. The course considers (1) questions of definition, range and subject matter, authorship and transmission; (2) the evidence of the orain luaidh, which raise all these questions in acute form; (3) the relationship between these 'sub-literary' compositions and the rest of the Gaelic tradition; and (4) the assessment of these songs from a literary point of view. The lecture in the first hour will be delivered in English. The tutorial in the second hour is available in either Gaelic or English, dependent on individual degree programs.

This is a course for beginners in Gaelic, enabling students to acquire basic language skills in speaking, reading, writing and listening. Students will be introduced to the grammatical framework of the language and will develop appropriate vocabulary through the study of some Gaelic prose texts; an overview of the historical and sociolinguistic context of Gaelic and of the history of Gaelic literature. 

This course develops foundational writing skills in Irish by engaging with short texts based on themes aligned with the A1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Writing practice is supported by analysis of Irish syntax using both original work and selected examples from other sources. Reading skills are strengthened through short passages accompanied by comprehension tasks. The course also encourages reflection on personal learning processes, with attention to the use of learning strategies, common challenges, and effective approaches for addressing them through guided class discussion.

Much of insular history is determined by connections forged across the seas. This course explores significant times and places in insular history where this dynamic played an especially important role. Beginning with an introduction to Ireland and Britain at the close of the Late Antique period, the course covers themes such as the dynamics of slave trade in relation to St Patrick and Ogham culture, the origin of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, the dynastic politics of Dal Riata and Iona, the cultural exchanges between Ireland and the English kingdoms in terms of book learning, the Easter controversy in the context of relations with Rome, and the significance of sea journeys in secular and ecclesiastical law and literature. The second half of the course explores interactions, both political and scholarly, with the Merovingian and Carolingian courts and with the Germanic kingdoms as well as the arrival of the Vikings and their impact on trade, literature, kingship and the geography of Ireland and Britain. The course explores each of these themes at the hand of primary sources contextualized with modern scholarship, allowing students to explore questions of historicity, genre, and source analysis.

This course provides students with an overview of the origins, languages, literatures, and mythologies of the Celts from prehistoric to medieval times. This course begins with a survey of the main periods of Celtic archaeology and then considers how the Celts were portrayed by Classical Greek and Roman authors, our only written sources for the history of ancient Celtic Europe. Following this, English translations of legal and historical texts composed in Ireland from the seventh century onwards are drawn upon to build up a picture of life in the medieval Celtic world, considering topics such as the structure of early Irish society and the role of women. In the second half of the course, students are introduced to the main genres of early Irish literature. This rich tradition will complement insights gained in the first half of the course. Students will focus on reading texts within the contemporary medieval context and will become familiar with the diversity of the early Irish literary tradition. The course also addresses recent scholarship in relation to the interpretation of the relevant literature.