Art and Devotion in Late Medieval Ireland

The religious art of early Christian Ireland has attracted much scholarly and popular attention. In contrast the devotional world of later medieval Ireland has, until recently, been relatively neglected. This multi-disclipinary volume redresses this by examining the material culture of late medieval Irish devotion against its artistic, historical, theological and liturgical background. The contributors draw on recent advances in international scholarship to provide a broader context for the Irish material. Subjects examined include: wall paintings, metalwork, shrines and reliquaries, manuscripts and books of hours, stained glass and vestments. Other contributions deal with the religious imagery of Irish bardic poetry and the cults of the Virgin Mary and St. Francis of Assisi.

The Devotional and artistic world of late medieval Ireland has until recently been relatively neglected. This volume addresses the imbalance by examining the material culture of late medieval Ireland in the broad context of continental popular piety. In a series of original and ground-breaking studies, the contributors adopt a multi-disciplinary approach, situating texts, topics and artifacts within their theological, artistic and historical milieux. Thus wall paintings, reliquaries, stained glass, figure sculpture, books of hours and vestments are examined alongside religious poetry, hagiography and devotional literature. Drawing on recent advances in international scholarship, this collection constitutes a unique study of a little known but fascinating period of Irish cultural history.