Bibliography
Brian
Lacey s. xx–xxi
2018
article
2013
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Lacey, Brian, Saint Columba: his life and legacy, Dublin: The Columba Press, 2013.
abstract:
Saint Colum Cille, also known from the Latin form of his name as Columba, was probably born in Donegal in ad 520 and died on Iona on 9 June – most likely in the year 593. His memory has been kept alive for almost a millennium and a half through folklore and literature, music and song, poetry and sculpture, manuscript-making and metalwork, history and archaeology.
Saint Columba His Life and Legacy is a comprehensive examination of the saint’s life in so far as we can know it, and a survey of the cult and traditions that developed subsequently; it also gives an outline of the enormous cultural legacy associated with the saint’s name. It covers material from Ireland, Scotland, the north of England, and the continent (including Scandinavia) and combines some archaeology, art history and folklore with the richer documentary material.
Dr Brian Lacey deals with an actual historical person, distinguishing him from the wonderfully complex but fictional character of the stories that have developed over the last fourteen centuries. He traces the evolution and effects of the monastic institution stemming from the saint’s main foundation on Iona – probably founded around 562 – as these spread throughout Ireland, Scotland and the north of England, with cultural and other influences reaching further to the continent. The extraordinary literary and artistic achievements of the Columban communities, of which the summa is the Book of Kells, are put in context, and the way in which Colum Cille’s memory has been invoked in the centuries since the middle ages is examined.(source: Columba Press)
abstract:
Saint Colum Cille, also known from the Latin form of his name as Columba, was probably born in Donegal in ad 520 and died on Iona on 9 June – most likely in the year 593. His memory has been kept alive for almost a millennium and a half through folklore and literature, music and song, poetry and sculpture, manuscript-making and metalwork, history and archaeology.
Saint Columba His Life and Legacy is a comprehensive examination of the saint’s life in so far as we can know it, and a survey of the cult and traditions that developed subsequently; it also gives an outline of the enormous cultural legacy associated with the saint’s name. It covers material from Ireland, Scotland, the north of England, and the continent (including Scandinavia) and combines some archaeology, art history and folklore with the richer documentary material.
Dr Brian Lacey deals with an actual historical person, distinguishing him from the wonderfully complex but fictional character of the stories that have developed over the last fourteen centuries. He traces the evolution and effects of the monastic institution stemming from the saint’s main foundation on Iona – probably founded around 562 – as these spread throughout Ireland, Scotland and the north of England, with cultural and other influences reaching further to the continent. The extraordinary literary and artistic achievements of the Columban communities, of which the summa is the Book of Kells, are put in context, and the way in which Colum Cille’s memory has been invoked in the centuries since the middle ages is examined.(source: Columba Press)
work
Lacey, Brian, Medieval and monastic Derry: sixth century to 1600, Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2013. 176 pp.
abstract:
According to legend, Derry originated as a monastery founded by St Columba/Colum Cille. That story was almost certainly a later rationalization and simplification of a complex reality arising from Derry’s capture from the Cenél nÉnnai kingdom in the late 6th century by the saint’s people, the powerful Cenél Conaill. By the 9th century, Derry was in the hands of the latter’s conquering enemies – Cenél nEógain of Inishowen. They further developed the Columban legend for propaganda purposes. In the 12th century, under the dynamic Mac Lochlainn kings, the enlarged settlement at Derry became a centre of significant political and cultural influence and the headquarters of the Columban churches in Ireland. Later – with the defeat of the Mac Lochlainns – Derry too declined. It would enjoy a brief revival in later medieval times under the O’Donnells, who also harnessed the Columban legend. The settlement was captured by the English in 1600, however, bringing about the end of its Gaelic identity. Lacey has been writing about medieval Derry since the 1980s; in this book, he revisits those studies – revising and augmenting them, examining previously little-used sources and emphasizing Derry’s changing fortunes in the contexts of contemporary secular politics.
abstract:
According to legend, Derry originated as a monastery founded by St Columba/Colum Cille. That story was almost certainly a later rationalization and simplification of a complex reality arising from Derry’s capture from the Cenél nÉnnai kingdom in the late 6th century by the saint’s people, the powerful Cenél Conaill. By the 9th century, Derry was in the hands of the latter’s conquering enemies – Cenél nEógain of Inishowen. They further developed the Columban legend for propaganda purposes. In the 12th century, under the dynamic Mac Lochlainn kings, the enlarged settlement at Derry became a centre of significant political and cultural influence and the headquarters of the Columban churches in Ireland. Later – with the defeat of the Mac Lochlainns – Derry too declined. It would enjoy a brief revival in later medieval times under the O’Donnells, who also harnessed the Columban legend. The settlement was captured by the English in 1600, however, bringing about the end of its Gaelic identity. Lacey has been writing about medieval Derry since the 1980s; in this book, he revisits those studies – revising and augmenting them, examining previously little-used sources and emphasizing Derry’s changing fortunes in the contexts of contemporary secular politics.
2012
work
Lacey, Brian, Lug’s forgotten Donegal kingdom: the archaeology, history and folklore of the Síl Lugdach of Cloghaneely, Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2012.
abstract:
Using archaeology, history, place-names, mythology and folklore, this book examines one of the smallest territorial units in Ireland from the beginning of history c.600, and traces its development to c.1100. It argues that these people from a remote area of Donegal constituted a tiny kingdom that had an ongoing association with the pagan god Lug – Lugh Lámhfhada. The book demonstrates how their original devotion to Lug was transmuted through conversion to Christianity, reconstituted in aspects of the cult of St Colum Cille and of a probably invented local saint – Beaglaoch. From c.725, their territory and influence were expanding – eventually giving rise to the powerful O’Donnell and O’Doherty families of the later Middle Ages. This illustrated book makes the Donegal landscape itself speak in a revealing manner, and offers a unique insight into wider early medieval history and religious culture.
abstract:
Using archaeology, history, place-names, mythology and folklore, this book examines one of the smallest territorial units in Ireland from the beginning of history c.600, and traces its development to c.1100. It argues that these people from a remote area of Donegal constituted a tiny kingdom that had an ongoing association with the pagan god Lug – Lugh Lámhfhada. The book demonstrates how their original devotion to Lug was transmuted through conversion to Christianity, reconstituted in aspects of the cult of St Colum Cille and of a probably invented local saint – Beaglaoch. From c.725, their territory and influence were expanding – eventually giving rise to the powerful O’Donnell and O’Doherty families of the later Middle Ages. This illustrated book makes the Donegal landscape itself speak in a revealing manner, and offers a unique insight into wider early medieval history and religious culture.
2011
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2010
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2009
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2008
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2006
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2004
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2003
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Lacey, Brian, “The battle of Cúl Dreimne — a reassessment”, Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 133 (2003): 76–85.
: <link>
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2001
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1998
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1997
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1984
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comments: Note that Brian Lacey has revised his conclusions concerning the identification of Ailech in later publications.
1983
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