Brian Ó Cuív
(1916-1999)
B 2.10.2: Catalogue of Irish Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library at Oxford and Oxford College Libraries: Part 2: Plates and Indexes
by † Brian Ó Cuív
2003. xix + 125 pp. + 40 plates
€20
ISBN 1 85500 191 8
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Preface
Professor Brian Ó Cuív (1916-1999) devoted the last years of his life to the preparation of a two-part Catalogue of Irish language manuscripts in the Bodleian Library at Oxford and Oxford College Libraries. The first part, containing descriptions of the manuscripts and their contents was published in 2001. The second part consists of forty colour-plates and sixteen black-and-white plates, as well as three indexes to the first part: an index of initial lines of verse, an index of incipits of prose texts, and a general index. The plates were chosen by Professor Ó Cuív, in consultation with his son Ruairí, to illustrate the beauty and variety of the Irish manuscripts in the Bodleian Library and Oxford College Libraries. The present selection is as close as possible to that planned by Professor Ó Cuív. Sometimes, however, there was only room for a montage of six ornamental initials where he had hoped to fit in seven or eight. He had also intended to include some double-columned pages which proved too large for the format of this volume. As his intention was clearly to display the ornamental initials present in both columns, the best option in such cases was to reproduce the whole width of col. a and enough of col. b to comfortably include the initial. Readers should note that the ornamental initials in the montages are not arranged in order of their appearance in the manuscript, but rather so that there should be a good balance of shape and colour in each plate.
In his Preface to Part 1, Professor Ó Cuív expressed his particular appreciation for the help which he received from Dr Bruce Barker-Benfield and Dr David Cooper. Both continued to support the project after his death, and have earned the deep gratitude of the School of Celtic Studies. Of the fifty-six plates in Part 2, forty-six have been reproduced by the courtesy of the Trustees of the Bodleian Library and ten by courtesy of the President and Scholars of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. In addition to those whose assistance has been acknowledged in the Preface of Part 1, thanks are due to Gavin McCullagh, computer consultant at the School of Celtic Studies, who prepared camera-ready copy for the text of the present volume, and to Professor William Bolger of the National College of Art and Design, who skilfully designed the plates.
FERGUS KELLY
See also
This is one of a pair of volumes available individually (see also Part 1) or as a set.