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The British Academy
10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1
Wednesday 4 March 2009
Gaelic in medieval Scotland: advent and expansion
Sir John Rhys Memorial Lecture
Professor Thomas Clancy
5.30–6.30pm, followed by a drinks reception.
Registration is not required for this event. Seats will be allocated on arrival.
Early 7th century records show that the Gaelic language and people were confined to the region of Argyll, yet, by the 12th century, most parts of what is now Scotland (and indeed parts of northern England) either had or had had communities of Gaelic speakers. This vast expansion of the language happened during one of the least well-evidenced times in Scotland's history, and the timing and mechanisms of this expansion have been much theorised and debated. The primary evidence illuminating these processes is that of toponyms, and, as such, place-names form the bedrock of this lecture’s investigation. This lecture will review the evidence for Gaelic's arrival and expansion in the various different regions of Scotland in the Middle Ages, examining in particular a number of different nodes of controversy, where paradigms have been shifting over recent years, including the advent of Gaelic in northern Britain; the dominance of Gaelic in the kingdom of Alba; and Gaelic in the south-west, the Western Isles, and the far north. What will emerge is a much more complex, nuanced series of interlocking episodes in Scotland's linguistic history.
About the speaker
Professor Thomas Clancy is Chair of Celtic at the University of Glasgow. His research interests include the development of Christianity in early medieval Scotland, the poetry of early medieval Scotland, medieval Gaelic narrative, especially Christian literature, Scottish place-names and saints’ dedications, medieval Welsh narrative, and the northern Britons. He contributed to the preparation of Celtic Culture: An Encyclopedia (2006).
Sir John Rhys Memorial Lecture
In 1924 a fund was given to the Academy for the promotion of Welsh and other studies to commemorate the services of the Rt Hon Sir John Rhys, Professor of Celtic, Principal of Jesus College, Oxford, and a Fellow of the British Academy. Sir John himself was the subject of the inaugural lecture in this biennial series, given by J Morris-Jones in 1925.
Lecture
5.30–6.30pm, followed by a drinks reception.
Registration is not required for this event. Seats will be allocated on arrival.