MEDIEVAL IRISH AND CELTIC STUDIES · can borrow these books from the John Paul II Library in the South Campus, or buy them in the Bookshop, North Campus. Visit the library early on

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SCHOOL OF CELTIC STUDIES DEPARTMENT OF EARLY IRISH

MEDIEVAL IRISH AND CELTIC STUDIES

SECOND YEAR STUDENTS HANDBOOK 2013–14

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Welcome Welcome to the National University of Ireland, Maynooth and to the Department of

Early Irish (Roinn na Sean-Ghaeilge). We are delighted that you have chosen to

continue your study of Medieval Irish and Celtic Studies, and we hope that you will

enjoy the year as you will deepen your knowledge and understanding of Medieval

Irish history and archaeology, look in greater detail into the many aspects of Irish

literature, or begin to study the Old Irish language, the medium in which the famous

tales and poems have come down to us.

The Department of Early Irish (Sean-Ghaeilge) is part of the School of Celtic Studies

in the Faculty of Arts, Celtic Studies and Philosophy in NUI Maynooth. The

homepage of the department is located online at: http://seanghaeilge.nuim.ie. The

Department can be contacted by email at: [email protected]. There are three regular

staff members in the Department:

Professor Dr. David Stifter

Head of Subject

Room 22, Arts Building

email: [email protected]

phone: 01/708 3710

Consultation hours: TBA

Senior Lecturer Dr. Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin



phone: 01/708 3711


Lecturer Dr. Elizabeth Boyle



phone: 01/708 6784


Secretary

Mairéad Uí Fhlatharta



phone: 01/708 3666

http://seanghaeilge.nuim.ie/

mailto:[email protected]

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Other Lecturers

Dr. Eoin Grogan




Dr. Colmán Etchingham (only semester 1)

Room 40, Rhetoric House, South Campus


phone: 01/708 3816

Consultation hours: Tue 11:00–11:55, Thu 10:00–10:55, 14:00–14:55

Prof. Jón Viðar Sigurðsson and Eoin O’Flynn (only semester 2)

Room 40, Rhetoric House, South Campus


phone: 01/708 3816


Important dates

Semester 1

23 September 2013 – 20 December 2013

23 September 2013: Lectures commence

28 October – 1 November 2013: Study Week

20 December 2013: Conclusion of First Semester Lectures

23 December 2013 – 3 January 2014:Christmas Vacation

6 January – 9 January 2014: Study Period

10 January 2014: Examination period commences

Semester 2

3 February 2014 – 9 May 2014

3 February 2014: Lectures resume

17 March – 21 March 2014: Study Week

18 April: Good Friday (no lectures)

21 April – 25 April 2014: Easter Vacation

9 May 2014: Conclusion of Second Semester Lectures

12 May – 15 May 2014: Study Period

16 May 2014: Examination period commences

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Second Year – General Information

General

This subject is taken with one other arts subject (excluding French, Greek and Roman

Civilisation, Mathematical Physics, Chinese Studies, Accounting) and will be conti-

nued for the duration of the degree (three years or four years in case of the B.A. Inter-

national). The course is taught through the medium of English and no previous know-

ledge of the Irish language is required. Texts will be read in English translations.

Queries

General concerns, problems or issues which may arise should be addressed to your

Second Year Co-ordinator, Professor David Stifter. Where possible, queries pertain-

ing to specific modules are best addressed to the lecturer in question during the con-

sultation hours or after their lectures.

Lectures

You are required to register for modules amounting to 30 credits in total. Some mo-

dules merit 5 credits, whereas optional modules on literary topics merit 2.5 credits, to

afford students a wider choice of topics. Modules worth 5 credits entail 24 lectures (2

hours per week), those worth 2.5 credits entail 12 lectures (1 hour per week), deliv-

ered over the duration of the semester. You must attend all modules that you are regis-

tered for. Tutorials are offered for some modules; if one such module is your choice

then you must sign up for a suitable tutorial time slot as your attendance and partici-

pation in relevant tutorials contributes to the overall module assessment. All modules

are of equal value in relation to the end-of-year mark.

If you cannot attend lectures for any reason, please contact the relevant lecturer and

explain your case. We are very approachable and understanding. If you are ill, please

provide us with a doctor’s certificate stating the duration of your illness.

Please note that, although most times and venues of lectures have been fixed before

the start of the year, they may be subject to change at any time due to unforeseen

circumstances. Therefore it is important to check this information at the beginning of

each semester.

Assessment

The modules will be examined though a combination of essays, continuous assess-

ment and examinations; some modules are assessed by examination only. The exact

details for their relative weighting may differ from module to module, details of

which can be found in the descriptors of the modules. The university scheduled exam-

inations will take place at the end of the relevant semester, after the end of the lectu-

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res. Other types of assessment (in-class exams, essays, etc.) fall within the semester;

details will be provided by the lecturers. The NUIM Marks & Standards as detailed

online at http://examinations.nuim.ie/marks_standards.shtml apply. Please note that

according to these under normal circumstances the highest attainable mark is 80%.

Essays, academic sincerity and deadlines

You will be required to write essays (1,500–2,000 words approx.) for some modules.

Recommended reading lists and essay titles will be communicated by the lecturers

during each module involved. Students are required to provide two copies of essay

assignments, one for retention by the department, and one for retention by the student.

Is féidir leat na haistí a cheapadh as Gaeilge más mian leat.

These essays must be properly referenced and submitted prior to or on the dates

outlined by the lecturers. You are responsible for the quality of any information used

from other sources. All material consulted for essays must be credited with a recog-

nised form of academic referencing. Unacknowledged reproduction of another’s work

or plagiarism is considered a serious offence, for which a student will receive no

marks and the matter will be reported to the Head of Subject, Professor David Stifter.

You are obliged to adhere strictly to NUIM policy on plagiarism as detailed online at

http://examinations.nuim.ie/rules.shtml. Any such offences will be prosecuted

according to NUIM rules and regulations stated therein.

Essays must be submitted by the deadline dates outlined in the descriptors of the

modules below, or at the time specified by the lecturers during each module. Late

essay submissions will incur a penalty of 10% reduction of marks per day late of

deadline. Assignments handed in more than 1 week after the due date will be awarded

no more than 40% of the maximum mark possible. No essays will be accepted after

the end of the lecture period of the relevant semester (20 December 2013 in semester

1; 9 May 2014 in semester 2). Please note that there is no repeat provision for solely

essay-assessed modules in the autumn examination.

Essay cover sheets, which can be downloaded from the Department webpage, must be

duly completed, signed and attached to all submissions.

Moodle

Each module has a particular account allocated on NUI Maynooth’s academic support

system Moodle at: https://2014.moodle.nuim.ie/login/index.php

http://examinations.nuim.ie/marks_standards.shtml

http://examinations.nuim.ie/rules.shtml

https://2014.moodle.nuim.ie/login/index.php

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Textbooks, Library

Relevant textbooks for each module will be recommended to you in the lectures. You

can borrow these books from the John Paul II Library in the South Campus, or buy

them in the Bookshop, North Campus. Visit the library early on in the semester and

familiarise yourself with it, e.g. where you may find the relevant books and journals.

Celtic Society

A Celtic Society is run by students of the subject. The Society will organise various

events (lectures, trips, social evenings,…) throughout the year. More information can

be found at Celtic Society NUIM on Facebook or MICSS@NUIM on Twitter, or

contact the Society at

[email protected]

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Semester 1

SG203 Ireland 431–800 (5 credits)

The history of Ireland from the introduction of Christianity around the beginning of

the fifth century AD to the arrival of the Vikings around the end of the eighth century.

Teaching & Learning Methods: 24 lecture hours

Time and Venue: Tue 15:00 [JH7] and Thu 12:00 [HH]

Lecturer: Dr. Colmán Etchingham

Assessment: Total marks 100%

(a) 50% Essay.

(b) 50% University scheduled written examination in January 2014.

SG207 Old Irish 1 (5 credits)

This module provides an introduction to the Old Irish language of the so-called

Classical period of the 8th

and 9th

centuries ab initio. The history of the language and

contemporary sources are introduced prior to the studying of basic topics of grammar

(notably the sound and spelling systems, the inflection of nouns, adjectives and

pronouns, the present stem of verbs) and reading appropriate Old Irish texts.

Teaching & Learning Methods: 24 lecture hours + 12 tutorial hours

Time and Venue: Tue 12:00 [TH1] and Fri 12:00 [JH2]

Lecturer: Prof. David Stifter

Text book: David Stifter, Sengoídelc. Old Irish for Beginners, New York: Syracuse

University Press 2006.

Assessment: Total marks 100% will be awarded on the basis of attendance, class work

and three written examinations during the semester.

Tutorials: Arrangements for tutorials will be announced at the beginning of semester 1.

SG220 The Celtic Heroic Age (5 credits)

This module introduces the students to different types of so-called heroic literature

from sources relating to the Ancient Celtic Continent, to Medieval Ireland and Wales,

and to High Medieval European courts. On the one hand, heroic literature comprises

texts that relate to warrior-dominated societies (e.g. classical accounts about ancient

Gauls, the Welsh Gododdin, or the Ulster cycle), but at the same time it also can mean

tales that contain narrative motifs that form part of the ‘International Heroic Bio-

graphy’, and which are thus inherently fictional. Exemplary heroic figures in the early

Irish (e.g., Cormac mac Airt, Cú Chulainn) and the British literary tradition (e.g.,

Pryderi, King Arthur) will be studied in the light of international heroic biographical

models. It will be critically evaluated if there is something unifyingly ‘Celtic’ in these

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accounts and narratives, or if they are better studied as manifestations of universal

ideological patterns typical of chieftain societies.


Time and Venue: Tue 13:00 [HH] and Thu 17:00 [JH5]

Lecturer: Dr. Elizabeth Boyle


(a) 50% Essay.

(b) 50% University scheduled written examination in January 2014.

Cyclical Modules Semester 1

SG232 Táin Bó Cúailnge and the Ulster Cycle (2.5 credits)

Medieval Ireland’s greatest epic raises a host of interesting issues revolving round the

fundamental question as to whether it should be regarded as a backward looking ‘win-

dow on the Iron Age’ or as a monastic composition with an essentially contemporary

point of reference. The story will be analysed in English translation and placed in its

proper narrative and social context.


Time and Venue: Wed 12:00 [RVH]

Lecturer: Dr. Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin

Assessment: 100% University scheduled written examination January 2014.

SG233 Medieval Irish Poetry (2.5 credits)

The role of poetry and poets in early medieval Irish literature and society is explored.

The various types of poetry are presented. The key technical features of syllabic

poetry are explained and some exemplary poems are analysed.


Time and Venue: Wed 16:00 [CS2]



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SG237 Under the Hill and over the Sea (2.5 credits)

By looking at tales about imaginative journeys to Otherworldly places in Irish litera-

ture, in particular tales of the immram ‘sea-voyage’ and echtrae ‘adventure’ type, this

module introduces the students to the concept of liminality.


Time and Venue: Thu 09:00 [ELT]



Special Options Semester 1

SG250 Structured Reading (5 credits)

This module entails structured reading of articles, textbooks, and monographs on a

select topic. It is only available to students who have unresolvable timetable clashes

for the other modules or for repeat students whose modules to be repeated are not on

offer this year.

Teaching & Learning Methods: 12 lecture hours, 12 hours of student activities


Time, Venue and Assessment (total 100%) to be arranged in consultation with Dr.

Boyle.

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Semester 2

SG208 Old Irish 2 (5 credits)

This module continues the exploration of the Old Irish language of the so-called

classical period of the 8th

and 9th

centuries. Aspects of Old Irish grammar and syntax

are discussed in detail (esp. noun classes, past tenses) and expanded upon through

reading appropriate Old Irish texts and poetry.

Prerequisite: SG207 or an equivalent knowledge of Old Irish

Teaching & Learning Methods: 24 lecture hours + 12 tutorial hours

Time and Venue: Tue 13:00 [CSSR] and Thu 11:00 [ELT]


Text book: David Stifter, Sengoídelc. Old Irish for Beginners, New York: Syracuse

University Press 2006.

Assessment: Total marks 100% will be awarded on the basis of attendance, class work

and three written examinations during the semester.

Tutorials: Arrangements for tutorials will be announced at the beginning of semester 2.

SG223 The Archaeology of Early Medieval Ireland (5 credits)

Archaeological evidence for secular settlement and social systems, the development

of the early Church and monastic sites, the emergence of late ‘Celtic’ artistic tradi-

tions and the wider European, including Anglo-Saxon, Carolingian and Viking, influ-

ences that contributed to this rich period of Irish society is introduced and examined

in detail. The contribution of new archaeological discoveries are assessed in the wider

context of interdisciplinary studies, including history and environmental research.


Time and Venue: Thu 09:00 [HF] and Thu 12:00 [ELT]

Lecturer: Dr. Eoin Grogan


(a) 50% Essay (2,000 words)

(b) 50% University scheduled written examination in January 2014

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SG252 Ireland Encounters Scandinavia: The Viking Age (5 credits)

The period 795–1169 in Irish history is one in which Ireland’s encounter with the

Viking-age Scandinavians had far reaching effects on Ireland’s history – political,

military, economic, social and cultural. This module seeks first to set that encounter in

context by exploring the north Atlantic Viking-age historical experience more gener-

ally. The second half of the module focuses closely on the Viking impact on Ireland

specifically in what may be called the ‘Long Viking Age’, which extends to the eve of

the advent of the Normans in Ireland in the 1160s.


Time and Venue: Tue 12:00 [HF] and Tue 15:00 [HF]

Lecturer: Prof. Jón Viðar Sigurðsson, Eoin O’Flynn


(a) 50% Essay.

(b) 50% University scheduled written examination in May 2014.

Cyclical Modules Semester 2

SG235 Learned Lore and Literature (2.5 credits)

Introduction to the main subgenres of medieval learned literature, i.e. wisdom texts,

specula principum, etymological texts, grammatical writing, the dindṡenchus-

literature.


Time and Venue: Fri 12:00 [IONSEM]


Assessment: 100% University scheduled written examination in May 2014.

SG236 Irish Mythological Tales (2.5 credits)

This module presents an introduction to the central characters and tales in the so-

called mythological cycle, particularly to its place in early medieval Irish literature,

but also to their wider context in Celtic and Indo-European mythology and literature.


Time and Venue: Thu 17:00 [AX1]

Lecturer: Dr. Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin


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SG238 The Love Triangle (2.5 credits)

In this module, various tales in the Irish and European literary tradition will be studied

which centre around the theme of the 'love triangle', i.e. the motif of the relationship

between, typically, an old king marrying a young woman who falls in love with a

young man.


Time and Venue: Wed 12:00 [SLT]

Lecturer: Dr. Elizabeth Boyle, Prof. David Stifter


Special Options Semester 2

SG250 Structured Reading (5 credits)

This module entails structured reading of articles, textbooks, and monographs on a

select topic. It is only available to students who have unresolvable timetable clashes

for the other modules or for repeat students whose modules to be repeated are not on

offer this year.

Teaching & Learning Methods: 12 lecture hours, 12 hours of student activities


Time, Venue and Assessment (total 100%) to be arranged in consultation with Dr.

Boyle.

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Timetable (2013–14): Medieval Irish and Celtic Studies, 2nd

Year

Semester 1

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

09:00 SG335 [ELT]

10:00

11:00

12:00 SG331 [CS2] SG203 [HH] SG207 [IONSEM]

13:00 SG220 [HH]

14:00

15:00 SG203 [JH3]

16:00 SG207 [T6] SG337 [CS2]

17:00 SG220 [JH5]

http://www.nuim.ie/courses/?Target=MODULE&Mode=VIEW&MODULE_CODE=SG235









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Timetable (2013–4): Medieval Irish and Celtic Studies, 2nd

Year

Semester 2

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

09:00 SG332 [ELT]/ SG204[HF]

10:00

11:00 SG208 [T1]

12:00 SG221 [HF] SG334 [SLT] SG204 [ELT] SG333 [IONSEM]

13:00 SG208 [CSR]

14:00

15:00 SG221 [HF]

16:00

17:00









MEDIEVAL IRISH AND CELTIC STUDIES · can borrow these books from the John Paul II Library in the South Campus, or buy them in the Bookshop, North Campus. Visit the library early on

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