Routeways and Reflections 10th International Insular Art Conference Cork and Dublin, 2 - 5 July 2025

Call for Papers

The International Insular Art Conference, which convenes approximately every four years, is the established forum for international scholars of the visual and material culture (e.g. manuscript illumination, sculpture, metalwork, etc.) of Early Medieval Ireland and Britain. The 10th Conference will be held in Cork, Ireland, and marks the 40th anniversary of the first insular art conference that was held in the city. The papers will be delivered on the 3rd and 4th of July in University College Cork. There will also be an optional event at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin on the 2nd, where there will be a special visit to the St Gallen Exhibition and an optional daytrip on the 5th to see carved stone monuments in county Tipperary.

We welcome contributions on any aspect of the visual and material culture of Ireland and Britain in any medium in the period c.400-1100. Papers and posters which consider the antecedents of Insular art, or its reception in later periods, including the Celtic Revival will also be considered provided there is a clear link to the Early Medieval period. Similarly, contributions which compare Insular material to the art of Continental Europe, Scandinavia, North Africa, or the Middle East are welcome, as are papers which consider the conservation and display of early medieval art objects.

The theme of the 10th IIAC, Routeways and Reflections, honours the 40th anniversary of the first Insular art conference, which was held in Cork in 1985. This conference provides a chance to reflect on the scholarly achievements of the last four decades and to highlight the new routes opening up for research in the field. Cork’s position on the River Lee and its magnificent harbour reminds one of the importance of water as a means of travel and of its reflective quality. Insular art can also be reflective in many ways, e.g. of light, of the past, across different media, across regions, and of its societies. The reflective nature of Insular art and the routeways, both physical and intellectual, that enabled the transmission of techniques, materials, motifs, style, iconography, and symbolism in the past are important considerations. Participants are encouraged to address the conference theme, but this is not a requirement. In addition, the conference will include a session on carved stone monuments, sponsored by the Digital Atlas of Early Irish Carved Stone project at UCC.

If you wish to propose either a Paper (20 mins) or Poster please submit a title and 300-word abstract no later than January 8, 2025, using the following online form

https://forms.gle/dZztpTf39P7BZUD97

We look forward to hearing from you,
Griffin Murray & Tomás Ó Carragáin (Department of Archaeology, University College Cork)