We are very grateful to Meon Eile who produced this attractive little video to celebrate the coming of our exhibition to the Linen Hall Library in Belfast. Images of the exhibition combined with a lovely interview with Greg Toner about the language, the history and the book which turned into a project. Less than 5 minutes and worth every second!

Over the moon to have won a National Hertitage Award for our project 'Horrible Histories of Lough Neagh'. Many thanks to our partners, The Northern Ireland Place-Name Project and Unlocking the Vikings, and to everyone who attended the live event. You can revisit the project by watching some of the videos on our YouTube Channel. Beware tales of blood-rain, people who shape-shift into eels, and a urinating horse!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz7hxCazwrY&t=109s

In a new blog published today on the Royal Irish Academy website, Professor Máire Ní Mhaonaigh tells us about the treasure-trove of words in eDIL and about teaching resources on medieval Ireland, prepared last year, which aim to inspire pupils through stories of female warriors, the Otherworld, Vikings and more.

Read the blog! 👇

https://t.co/0l5r7fzyCx?amp=1

And watch the video! 👇

https://youtu.be/eaEFNoX5CFc

RÁÏD 'rows'
IMM-RÁ 'rows around'
IMMRAM 'rowing around; sea-voyaging'

This week's episode in our series for Radio MoLI looks at a word from the poetry of Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill. You can listen to the episode in full, read beautifully by Meidhbhín Ní Úrdail, at https://moli.ie/radio/immram/

Our series on Radio MoLI continues with an episode on TARBH 'bull'. When planning your activities for tomorrow, it may be worth bearing in mind that, in early Ireland, many activities – including shaving and baking – were not permitted on a Sunday; but you could still bring a bull to a cow!

https://moli.ie/radio/tarbh-bull/

Quick reminder that, while our exhibition is at the Linen Hall Library, Belfast, all orders of 'A History of Ireland in 100 Words' will include the 5 FREE postcards which you should have been able to pick up there. Do try to fit in a socially-distanced visit to the exhibition itself though!

https://www.ria.ie/history-ireland-100-words

As part of this year's Being Human Festival of the Humanities, we're hosting an online talk and quiz called 'What the Medieval Doctor Ordered: Medicine in Ireland and Scandinavia'. With researchers from Cambridge, Maynooth and Belfast, and hopefully fewer technical difficulties than last time! Join us to discover the bizarre language of medieval medicine and some ill-advised cures involving cats and plants and ants' eggs. Completely free but you'll need to register:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/117558062329

In belated celebration of Michaelmas, our latest episode for Radio MoLI is all about geese - roast goose, a stolen goose-egg and the call of the barnacle goose as sign of approaching winter.

Truly grateful to Andrea Palandri for a brilliant reading.

https://moli.ie/radio/ge-goose/

As the exhibition will be on display at the Linen Hall Library, Belfast, for October and November, we have one more event:

'Apple-tricks and Summer-Set: Irish Words and Stories of Hallowe'en'
LIVE, FREE, ONLINE
Friday, 30 October, 7pm

Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Greg Toner and myself with some seasonal fare delivered in short talks and chat!
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/apple-tricks-and-summer-set-irish-words-and-stories-of-halloween-tickets-121179652603

If you're in BELFAST - or within easy reach of Belfast - you might be interested to know that our exhibition 'A History of Ireland in 10 Words' will be on display in the LINEN HALL LIBRARY from Thursday, 1 October, until Friday, 27 November 2020. Stunning panels, illustrating words such as 'Taoiseach', 'Cláirseach' (harp) and 'Caistéal' (castle), and offering glimpses of the people of Ireland in past centuries making music, meeting strangers, and watching the stars and the seasons 🌠

The final instalment in our series of words from the poetry of Seamus Heaney for Radio MoLI looks at Irish CLÁBAR, the word which lies behind Hiberno-English clabber and clauber. The expression 'clabber to the knees' remains popular in the north of Ireland but how far back can it be traced? This episode brought to life once again by Regina Uí Chollatáin...

https://moli.ie/radio/clabar-mud/

FINAL CALL! As always, you have been tremendously supportive of our 'virtual gathering', in association with with dlr LexIcon Venue, tomorrow evening. Probably space for a few more (link below). If you are intending to join us, don't forget your 🍷 and remember that questions and comments are very welcome!

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/talks-and-chat-from-the-authors-of-a-history-of-ireland-in-100-words-tickets-120164572471

Our exhibition at LexIcon, Dún Laoghaire, was officially launched last week by Cathaoirleach Una Power, Ruth Hegarty, from the Royal Irish Academy, and Marian Keyes from dlr LexIcon. We have also a LIVE ONLINE event to mark the occasion: join Greg Toner, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh and myself for talks, conversation and questions:

Thursday, 24 Sept, 7.30pm

Register below for a FREE Zoom link 👇
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/talks-and-chat-from-the-authors-of-a-history-of-ireland-in-100-words-tickets-120164572471

Photos: Peter Cavanagh

Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to be part of a lovely event organised by The Northern Ireland Place Name Project for the NI Science Festival. The event was called 'Bogland and Blackberries' and I spoke on Irish words in the poetry of Seamus Heaney. Extracts from that talk are now a short series on MoLI Radio. Each episode lasts only a few minutes; we would be delighted if you could find the time to listen 🎧

https://moli.ie/radio/series/spreading-the-words/

A new instalment in our series for MoLI Radio! This episode looks at BOG, taking its inspiration from the poetry of Seamus Heaney and inquiring into the difference between Irish BOG and English BOG. Read beautifully by Regina Uí Chollatáin. 🌿

The second of our short videos for Northern Ireland European Heritage Open Days 2020 features the tale of a water-monster, 'leprechauns' and the beautiful but dangerous Dundrum Bay in Co. Down. Enjoy!

#ehod2020 #DundrumHeritage

https://youtu.be/Kbu6dfoX7bM

A 'Companion to eDIL 2019', of 400+ pages, is now available to download from the project page of the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, University of Cambridge. Detailing the major additions and corrections made in the course of the 2014-19 project, this is an indispensable guide to the latest version of eDIL! With sincere thanks to the ASNC Department, which funded the production of this Companion, and to the Arts and Humanties Research Council, which funded the underlying project work.
https://www.asnc.cam.ac.uk/research/index.htm#Text

To mark the launch of our exhibition at dlr LexIcon, we're holding a virtual evening of talks and chat about Irish words, tales, history and more. If you have a question about the book or about the language, facts and fictions of Ireland, we would love to hear from you and we will do our very best to answer! Alternatively, you can just sit back and enjoy from the comfort of your own home. Live by Zoom on

Thursday, 24th September, at 7.30pm.

Grab a ticket through the link below & bring your own 🍷 on the night!

To mark European Heritage Open Days 2020, we have a couple of short videos looking at the medieval names, stories and histories of places in the North of Ireland. In the first of these, Prof. Máire Ní Mhaonaigh casts an expert eye over Lough Foyle and its associations with Mannanán mac Lir, the Voyage of Bran and Febal, who is said to have given the lough its name:

#EHOD2020

https://youtu.be/f0XWMMaUI6o

We are very fortunate to have able to record some material on Irish words and their appearances in tales and histories for MoLI Radio, the on-demand radio station of the Museum of Literature Ireland. At the moment we have 3 episodes: Smugairle Róin (Jellyfish), Snámh (Swimming) and Maighdean Mhara (Mermaid). Each is around 3 minutes in length and they have been read beautifully by Ruth Hegarty. More to come; hopefully, you will enjoy what we have so far!
https://moli.ie/radio/series/spreading-the-words/

For European Heritage Open Days, we have created short video presentations on the medieval tales and Irish names associated with two significant bodies of water: Lough Foyle and Dundrum Bay. Anyone who knows the tales in question will know that these feature a voyage to the Otherworld, a water-monster and diminutive beings who are forerunners of the creatures we have come to know as leprechauns. Something for everyone! The videos will be available to view on YouTube from Monday, 7 September.

Remember our beautiful exhibition which had to be stored away during lockdown? We're delighted to announce that it will be on display again, from 2 September to 31 October 2020, in the aptly-named LexIcon, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. If a socially-distanced visit is at all feasible, it's certainly worth seeing!

It's the last day of Irish Heritage Week 2020 and it's officially Water Heritage Day. A fine opportunity, then, to watch the final video in our series celebrating the Horrible Histories of Lough Neagh. Hear about eels with human faces, eels with hair and how the eels got into the lough!!

https://youtu.be/GhXHFnDJnAE