12.12.2013
Archbishops Launch Online Archive of Religious Texts
A new online archive of modern Irish texts was launched yesterday evening in the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin. The launch was performed by the two Archbishops of Dublin, Dr Michael Jackson and Dr Diarmuid Martin.
The archive was compiled by the Foclóir na Nua–Ghaeilge project at the Academy and staff intend to add to it as work on the project progresses. The Online Archive of Religious Texts 1600 to 1882 is now available on www.fng.ie.
Among the texts are An Teagasg Críosdaidhe, by Bonabhentura Ó hEodhasa, published in 1611, Leabhuir na Seintiomna translated by Uilliam Bedel, 1685, and Tiomna Nuadh ár dTighearna agus ár Slánuightheora Íosa Críost translated by Uilliam Ó Domhnaill, 1602.
All of these texts were published on CD–ROM in 2004, but as a result of a word search, only three lines of the text could be viewed at any one time. This is a very valuable tool for scholars undertaking research on the language of that period, however in this new archive, the religious texts can be read in their entirety and downloaded. FNG is grateful to the publishers who gave permission to republish these texts online.
Speaking at the launch Archbishop Jackson congratulated the Royal Irish Academy on the initiative which he termed “freedom of information, without some of the associations so often linked with the more conventional use of the term: FOI”.
“The Royal Irish Academy has, throughout its long and distinguished history, held together the conversation of courtesy in all things Irish and academic. Such conversation is cross–disciplinary and vigorously so, as Irish academics and intellectuals make their contribution, generation by generation, to the adventure of knowledge which today is an international journey. The launch tonight of digital access to Biblical and religious texts in the Irish language from 1600–1882 is a testimony to this generosity and this courtesy. It will widen and deepen the impact of faith and understanding as they engage with one another in a critical friendship which is always the very place to begin and end an argument about the things which really matter,” he said.
You can read Archbishop Jackson’s full speech here.
Archbishop Martin spoke of the importance of history and archives in contextualising the present.
“Archives are unique places of learning and discovery. They document our rich and varied history. Archives are like jigsaw puzzles and if one piece is extracted then the full story will never be known. I lived for many years in the Vatican, a place where manuscripts have been collected since the early centuries. In such an environment, it is not hard to imagine the initial scepticism and then concern and even a sense of sacrilege that emerged when e–communication exploded on the horizon,” he stated. “With this online archive documents can be studied in the digital environment or downloaded in their entirety. People all over the world have access to them, to engage, study, and be inspired by their contents.”
You can read Archbishop Martin’s full speech here.
Photo caption: Archbishop Michael Jackson, Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dinny Mc Ginley, T. D. and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.