As part of the unique relationship between UCD and the Irish Franciscans (UCD-OFM Partnership), UCD Archives curates many elements of the Franciscan manuscript patrimony. This process began with the transfer of the immensely significant collections of non-Franciscan private paper collections in 1997, including the papers of Eamon de Valera, Kathleen O’Connell, Seán MacEoin, George Gavan Duffy, and Muiris Ó Droighneáin.
The establishment of the Micheál Ó Cléirigh Institute for the Study of Irish History and Civilization in 2000 initiated the transfer to UCD Archives from the Franciscan Library Killiney of the major series of medieval and early modern manuscripts held there. The collection has been the focus of an extensive programme of conservation, cataloguing, and digitisation.
The digitisation of the renowned UCD-OFM ‘A’ manuscripts began UCD Library’s collaboration with Irish Script on Screen (ISOS). ISOS is a project of the School of Celtic Studies, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies whose aim is to create digital images of Irish manuscripts, and to make them freely accessible online, with associated commentaries.
On 2 June, we were delighted to mark the official transfer of UCD-OFM Ms F1 Vitae Sanctorum Ex Codice Innisensi from the Irish Franciscans (OFM) to UCD Archives. Containing medieval Latin lives of Irish saints, this important 17th century manuscript was previously housed at the Franciscan library at Dún Mhuire, Killiney. Its transfer marks the latest milestone in the long-standing partnership between University College Dublin and the Irish Franciscans established in 1997.
UCD-OFM Ms F1 Vitae Sanctorum Ex Codice Innisensi, outside front cover
Transcribed in 1627 by the Franciscan Brother John Goode, UCD-OFM Ms F1 is a paper volume containing 33 of the 39 medieval Latin lives of Irish saints originally found in the Codex Insulensis which is preserved in two volumes in the Bodleian Library, Oxford.
The manuscript was discovered in the papers of the Franciscan hagiographer John Colgan and housed for many years at the Friary on Merchant’s Quay before moving to Killiney. Following conservation and digitisation, this important manuscript has now been added to the UCD Archives collections.
In 2024, UCD supported the conservation of UCD-OFM Ms F1, which was meticulously carried out by Benjamin van de Wetering of Ox Bindery. This work paved the way for the manuscript’s complete digitisation by ISOS.
The digitisation was initiated by Dr Niamh Wycherley, Assistant Professor in Early Irish History at Maynooth University, who sought to demonstrate the links between UCD-OFM Ms F1 and its parent texts in the Bodleian. Thanks to this collaborative effort, a digital copy of the manuscript is now freely available to researchers worldwide via the ISOS project website, where it now sits alongside digital copies of the UCD-OFM ‘A’ manuscripts.
Dr Niamh Wycherley, Assistant Professor in Early Irish History, Maynooth University
To celebrate the transfer, the Registrar Professor Colin Scott and University Librarian Dr Sandra Collins formally welcomed OFM Provincial Fr Aidan McGrath and Secretary Fr Stephen O’Kane to UCD Library, alongside key collaborators who made the preservation possible including Kate Manning (UCD Archives), Anne Marie O’Brien (Director, ISOS, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), Dr Niamh Wycherly (Maynooth University), Professor John McCafferty (UCD School of History), Lorraine McLoughlin (UCD Special Collections) and Evelyn Flanagan (UCD Director of Cultural Heritage).
Evelyn Flanagan, Director of Cultural Heritage, Fr Stephen O’Kane
Registrar, Deputy President and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Professor Colin Scott noted that “We welcome the arrival of this rare manuscript into the care of UCD Archives, further strengthening our relationship with the Irish Franciscans. In supporting this important conservation work, UCD has enabled the digitisation of this 17th-century text thereby facilitating global access for research and learning.”
Registrar, Deputy President and Vice President for Academic Affairs
This post was written by Kate Manning, Principal Archivist,
and Catherine Wilsdon, Communications and Public Engagement Manager
Congratulations to one and all for the completion of this great task.
Brilliant accomplishment.