Kuno Meyer

Chronology and biographical notices

See below for a list of Meyer's documents on the CELT site

Chronology

1858 December 20: born in Hamburg (Germany). 
1879: entered University of Leipzig; taught by Ernst Windisch; received his doctorate in 1883. 
1881: edition of "Macgnimartha Find" in Revue Celtique 5 195-204. 
1884: doctoral thesis published: Eine irische Version der Alexandersage
1884: became lecturer on Teutonic Languages at the University College Liverpool (England); was to introduce Celtic studies to the University. 
1885: Cath Finntrága, or Battle of Ventry published. 
1886: Merugud Uilix maicc Leirtis: the Irish Odyssey published 
1889: visited the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. 
1892: rheumatoid arthritis sets in; Aislinge Meic Conglinne. The Vision of Mac Conglinne published. 
1895: The Voyage of Bran Son of Febal to the Land of the Living published, volume II published in 1897. 
1896: founder and joint editor with Ludwig Christian Stern of Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie. This became (and still is) a major journal in the area of celtic studies. 
1901: King and Hermit: a colloquy between King Guaire of Aidne and his brother Marbán, published 1902: appointed Reader in Celtic at Liverpool University; Liadain and Curithir published. 
1903 May 14: addressed Oireachtas of the Gaelic League; Four Old-Irish songs of summer and winter published. 
1903 June 23: delivered opening address to the Summer School of Irish Studies in Dublin; the first report of "Sgoil Árd-Léighinn na Gaedhilge/School of Irish Learning" appeared in November 1903; the School's journal Ériu appeared in 1904; another publication series was the Anecdota from Irish Manuscripts (five volumes appeared). 
1904: appointed Todd Professor in the Celtic Languages at the Royal Irish Academy. 
1905: Cáin Adamnáin: An Old-Irish treatise on the Law of Adamnán, published. 
1909: A primer of Irish metrics published. 
1910: Fianaigecht published (Todd Lecture Series 16). This volume contains: Reicne Fothaid CanainneThe Quarrel between Finn and OisínAilill Aulom, Mac Con, & Find ua Báiscne (Laud 610)Erard mac Coisse cecinit: A Mór Maigne Moigi SiúilThe Finn episode from Gilla in Chomded húa Cormaic's poem "A Rí richid, réidig dam"The Chase of Síd na mBan Finn and the Death of Finn
1911 October: followed Heinrich Zimmer as Chair of Celtic Philology at the University of Berlin; Selections from Ancient Irish Poetry published. 
1912 April 22: conferred with Freedom of the City of Dublin together with Canon Peter O'Leary; Hail Brigit: An Old-Irish poem on the Hill of Alenn, published. 
1912 September 25: on the feast day of St Finbarr, both Meyer and Canon O'Leary conferred with the Freedom of the City of Cork. Meyer's speech reported in the English Morning PostManchester Guardian and other newspapers. 
1913: Learning in Ireland in the fifth century and the transmission of letters published. 
1912: presented with essays collected in his honour: Miscellany presented to Kuno Meyer by some of his friends and pupils on the occasion of his appointment to the chair of Celtic philology in the University of Berlin edited by Osborn Bergin and Carl Marstrander (Halle a. S.: M. Niemeyer, 1912). 
1914 October 10: city of Antwerp fell to the German army; Meyer angers many by signing-off a contribution to ZCP with "am Tage der Eroberung von Antwerpen", 'on the day of the capture of Antwerp'. 
1914 November: sailed to USA; lectured at Columbia University, Urbana University in Illinois and others. 
1914 December: lectured to Clan na Gael at Long Island (NY), extracts of which were published in the London Times. His speech caused a furore as it became clear that he supported Germany in war; resigned from his position of Honorary Chair of Celtic at the University of Liverpool; his letter apparently envisaged England being invaded by German forces; resigned as Director of the School of Irish Learning and editorship of Ériu; both Cork and Dublin Corporations remove Meyer from the roll of freemen (Dublin in 1920 restored him to the Roll). 
1915: lecture tour around USA; while in California was injured in a rail collision; while hospitalized he met his future wife, Florence Lewis (a 27 year-old Nebraskan); in 1916 Florence Meyer goes to Berlin; Meyer himself remains in USA. 
1917: returns to Germany; 1919 Florence and her daughter go to Switzerland. 
1919 October 11: dies in a Leipzig nursing home; many fine obituaries written including one by Osborn Bergin.

Sources: 
Seán Ó Lúing, Kuno Meyer 1858-1919: A Biography (Dublin: Geography Publications 1991): this book contains a bibliography of and on Kuno Meyer, pp.247-254.


Biographical Notices

  1. Osborn J. Bergin, Kuno Meyer, Freeman's Journal [Dublin], 18 Oct. 1919.
  2. R.I. Best, Kuno Meyer, Ériu 9 (1923), 181-186.
  3. Eleanor Hull, Kuno Meyer. By a pupil, Irish Book Lover 11 (1919), 35-36.
  4. Douglas Hyde, Canon Peter O'Leary and Dr. Kuno Meyer, Studies 9 (1920), 297-301.
  5. L. Muehlhausen, Kuno Meyer, Deutsches Biographisches Jahrbuch 1917-1920, p.453-455, 192-.
  6. Seán Ó Luing, Kuno Meyer, 1858-1919 (Dublin: Geography Publications, 1991).
  7. Julius Pokorny, Kuno Meyer, Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie 13 (1920), 283-285.
  8. Wilhelm Schulze, Gedächtnisrede auf Kuno Meyer, Preuss. Akad. der Wissensch. Sitz.-Ber. (1920), 702-8-709.
  9. W. Schulze, Gedächtnisfeier. Fichte-Hochschulgemeinde. Rede des Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Schulze, 1920. English translation [by A. Meyer], Studies 9 (1920), 291-297.
  10. Rudolf Thurneysen, Kuno Meyer, Indogerm. Jahrbuch 1919, 164-167.
  11. J. Vendryes, Kuno Meyer, Revue Celtique 37 (1919), 425-428.

Page compiled by Margaret Lantry; updated by Beatrix Färber, January 2010.

Irish texts published by CELT, edited by Kuno Meyer

For a bibliography see Štepán Kosík's Scéla website

 

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