Early and Medieval Irish, Digital Humanities

Prof John Carey
Tuesday 20 October 2020, 5:15pm
Online - MS Teams

This lecture will concentrate on the rich and fascinating traditions found in early Irish literature concerning magic, smiths and the fashioning of metal. The smith had a special status within the traditional societies of early Ireland and elsewhere in the Celtic-speaking world. The figure is associated with magic and the supernatural, as well as having special legal status, and a marginal and ambiguous position within the community. The talk will touch on the themes of magical spells, incantations, and narratives connected with smiths and their craft as discussed in the recent publication 'Magic, Metallurgy and Imagination in Medieval Ireland: Three Studies'. John Carey, Professor of Early and Medieval Irish, is an internationally known expert on Old Irish language and literature.