„ II.—THE BEGINNINGS OF CLASSICAL LEARNING 15 „ III.—IRISH MONASTICISM 30 „ IV.—THE RELATION OF THE IRISH MONASTIC SCHOOLS TO THE GENERAL EDUCATIONAL SITUATION (550–900 A.D.) 71 „ V.—CENTRES OF INTELLECTUAL LIFE IN IRISH MONASTERIES 93 „ VI.—COURSE OF STUDIES 119 „ VII.—SCOPE AND INFLUENCE OF IRISH SCHOLARSHIP 171 BIBLIOGRAPHY:—(a) SOURCES 195 (b) SECONDARY AUTHORITIES 198 “The ages which deserve an exact enquiry are those times (for such there were) when Ireland was the School of the West, the quiet habitation of sanctity and literature.” —Extract from a letter written by Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709–1780) to Charles O’Connor (1710–1791), published in Edward O’Reilly’s _Irish Writers_, pp. i., ii. Dublin, 1770. “Le peuple monastique des temps barbares, le peuple missionare, et destiné à apporter la lumière de la foi et de la science dans les ténèbres croissantes de l’Occident, c’est le peuple Irlandais dont on connait mieux les malheurs que les services et dont on n’a pas assez étudié l’étonnante vocation.” —Ozanam, Frederic. _La Civilisation Chrétienne chez les Francs_, Ch. 4. Roddet in cach cill caid Etir tir is tuinnd is traig Foglaim ecnai crabud De Lubair cretra commairge. —From a poem attributed to Flann Fine, the Irish name of Aldfrith, King of Northumbria (d. 704 A.D.), who studied in Ireland. Text in _Eriu_, viii., p. 67. Translation, p. 71. [Transcriber’s note. This stanza is written in Old Irish, a language that can be read today by only a small number of scholars. The following translation, which is not in the source book, was made by Paul Walsh who published the entire poem in _Eriu_. There were yielded in every holy church, on land and water and beach, learning of wisdom, piety to God, ecclesiastical duty, relics, and protection.] [Transcriber’s note. In the source book the following stanza is printed in an older Irish orthography and typeface, no longer in common use. Here it is printed using modern Irish orthography.] Tuilleadh Feasa ar Éirinn óigh Do chruinnigheasa ó scoith-seanóir; Beag mo stuaim, gidh mór mo ghrádh Ar an oileán uasal, Eire áin. An t-Ughdar. THE EARLY IRISH MONASTIC SCHOOLS CHAPTER I CIVILIZATION AND LEARNING IN IRELAND IN PAGAN TIMES