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Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
53
Irish (Early Irish and
Modern Irish)
COURSE CODES:
PLACES 2011:
POINTS 2010:
DEGREE AWARDED:
TR022
15
345
B.A.
TR001
(TSM-EI)
10
415-535*
TR001
(TSM-MI)
30
410-555
TSM points:
See note on page 28
Special Entry Requirements:
Leaving Certificate
HC3
Irish
Advanced GCE (A-Level)
Grade C Irish
Students may study:
EITHER Early and Modern Irish (TR022)
OR
Early Irish (EI) in combination with one other subject
(TR001/TSM)
OR
Modern Irish (MI) in combination with one other subject
(TR001/TSM)
TR022 – Early and Modern Irish is a single honor course.
In TR001 (TSM) Early Irish or Modern Irish can be
studied with one other subject within the two-subject
moderatorship (TSM) programme. TSM is a joint honor
programme. Both subjects are normally studied for three
years and one subject only is studied in the fourth year.
An honors degree is awarded in both subjects.
For subjects that combine with Early Irish and with Modern
Irish see page 92.
See also:
TR013: Computer science and language, page 122
TR027: Irish studies, page 65
Early Irish component
Early Irish can be studied either in combination with one
other subject as part of a two-subject moderatorship (TSM)
programme or in the single honor Early and Modern Irish
programme. When studied as part of a TSM programme, both
subjects are studied for three years and one subject only is
studied in the fourth year. An honors degree is awarded in both
subjects.
Is this the right course for you?
If you are interested in acquiring a reading knowledge of
Medieval Irish, in which the great saga literature of our
manuscripts was written, this is the course for you. You will enjoy
small class sizes and a friendly atmosphere, work with scholars
publishing in the field and may avail of the option to study
Medieval and Modern Welsh in Wales in your third year.
Course content
The Early Irish course, which is taught through the medium
of English, covers the history of the Irish language from its
first appearance on the Ogam inscriptions at the dawn of the
Christian era in the fifth century, to the highly polished language
of the sagas and law texts preserved in the medieval manuscript
collections held in the libraries of TCD, the Royal Irish Academy
and the National Library, all within a five-minute walk of the
Arts building. The Celtic and Indo-European origins of Irish will
be investigated. You will come to know the great characters of
Early Irish literature, including the tragic Deirdre, the doomed
Conaire, the irresistible but irritable Cú Chulainn, the hopelessly
infatuated Muirchertach and many more. The Pagan and/
or Christian character of the literature will be investigated as
will topics such as kingship, the heroic biography and the
sovereignty goddess.
The Freshman years
In the first two years you will study the basics of Old Irish.
At this stage most literature is read in translation but you will
be introduced to the original texts gradually and you will see
how the language emerged and developed through the early
Christian period.
The Sophister years
In the Sophister (third and fourth) years the horizons are
expanded; your study of the history of the language will take
you back to its Celtic origins and forward to the dawn of Modern
Irish. At this stage you will be reading prose and poetry as well
as law and history in the original language, and a special course
in palaeography will teach you how to read the manuscripts
themselves. Junior Sophister (third year) students may opt to
spend a term in Aberystwyth learning Medieval and Modern
Welsh.