From the recovery after the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s to the booming Celtic Tiger of the 1990s, a revival of the ancient traditions of Celtic jewelry have become a part of how the Irish, as well as the Scots, Welsh and other Celts have expressed their cultural identity. Usually the story of this tradition focuses on very old prototypes, the museum pieces turned up by archaeologists or the legend of the original Claddagh ring. In our imagination, we connect the popular Celtic jewelry of today with the distant past. But that link with the ancient style was very much influenced by what others had done in more recent history. The story of is told by four authors. Tara Kelly writes of the early Celtic Revival manufacture of facsimiles of medieval Irish metalwork in Victorian Dublin and how the success of that enterprise lead to historical Celtic jewellery to become iconic symbols of Irish identity. Mairi MacArthur tells the story of Alexander and Euphemia Ritchie who created the foundation for modern Scottish Celtic jewellery on the Isle of Iona in the early 20th century. Aidan Breen, himself a pioneer of the late 20th century Celtic Renaissance, recalls his career beginning with an apprenticeship with Dublin silversmiths which trained him in the traditions of the older Celtic Revival. Stephen Walker, craftsman and collector, brings the story together as it spans 150 years, from Scottish pebble jewellery to the innovative modern Celtic creations of the Arts and Crafts Movement. 69 color photographs and 29 black and white illustrations.

The Modern History of Celtic Jewellery: 1840-1980

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Walker, Stephen

MacArthur, E. Mairi

Kelly, Tara

Breen, Aidan

Antiques & Collectibles

Walker Metalsmiths

The Cathach is the oldest extant Irish illuminated manuscript, dated to c. CE 600. The surviving 58 folios contain Psalms 30:10 to 105:13 (Vulgate version). Legend has it that Colum Cille copied the manuscript from a psalter lent to him by St. Finnian. A dispute over the ownership of the copy was resolved by the King of Tara in a very early copyright ruling: "To every cow her calf, so to every book its copy". A full-color 84-page booklet introduces readers to the provenance, art history and biblical content of the manuscript. The accompanying interactive CD-ROM presents the manuscript in digitized form, with a brief overview of its origins and art history. The manuscript folios can be read against a transcription by H.J. Lawlor or an English version of the relevant psalms. A zoom facility up to 400% allows art historians, calligraphers, palaeographers and other researchers to examine the script and illuminated initials in detail.

The Cathach of Colum Cille: An Introduction - With Accompanying CD-ROM

Arts & Photography

HERITY, Michael

History & Criticism

Royal Irish Academy

The Cathach is the oldest extant Irish illuminated manuscript, dated to c. CE 600. The surviving 58 folios contain Psalms 30:10 to 105:13 (Vulgate version). Legend has it that Colum Cille copied the manuscript from a psalter lent to him by St. Finnian. A dispute over the ownership of the copy was resolved by the King of Tara in a very early copyright ruling: "To every cow her calf, so to every book its copy". This full-color 84-page booklet introduces readers to the provenance, art history and biblical content of the manuscript.

The Cathach of Colum Cille: An Introduction

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