A Dictionary Of Celtic Saints

Scarcely a parish in Ireland is without one or more dedications to saints, in the form of churches in ruins, holy wells or other ecclesiastical monuments. Professor Pádraig Ó Riain's Dictionary of Irish Saints is intended to serve as a guide to the (mainly documentary) sources of information on the saints named in these dedications, for those who have an interest in them, scholarly or otherwise. The need for a summary biographical dictionary of Irish saints, containing information on such matters as feastdays, localisations, chronology, and genealogies, although stressed over sixty years ago by the eminent Jesuit and Bollandist scholar, Paul Grosjean, has never before been satisfied. Professor Ó Riain has been working in the field of Irish hagiography for upwards of forty years, and the material for the over 1,000 entries in his Dictionary has come from a variety of sources, including Lives of the saints, martyrologies, genealogies of the saints, shorter tracts on the saints (some of them accessible only in manuscripts), annals, annates, collections of folklore, Ordnance Survey letters, and other documents. Running to almost 700 pages, the body of the Dictionary is preceded by a Preface, List of Sources and Introduction, and is followed by comprehensive Indices of Parishes, Other Places (mainly townlands), Alternate (mainly Anglicised) Names, Subjects, and Feastdays. Professor Ó Riain's Dictionary has been described as 'an astonishingly comprehensive, intelligent and well-organized work'; it is unlikely to be superseded for many decades to come.

Throughout the Celtic world, in Britain, Ireland and France, the early Christian saints left a profound legacy to the history and culture of Northern Europe. This is the first ever dictionary of Celtic saints and is fully illustrated with photographs of where each saint lived and worked, ranging from ruined monasteries to holy wells, and from caves to Roman and Celtic forts. The reader is therefore drawn into the beautiful world which these men and women inhabited, while also being able to trace the history and legend surrounding these early British Christians. Easy to use, with an Introduction and maps to pinpoint the sites described in the text, A Dictionary of Celtic Saints will appeal to anyone interested in history, landscape or spirituality. Based on sound scholarship, it will also be helpful to students of civilisation and culture. Elizabeth Rees is a Roman Catholic nun with a Master's degree from Oxford. She is one of Britain's leading authorities on the Celtic saints and is the author of many books on the early Christian world.

Most books about Celtic saints are based on their legendary medieval lives. This book, however, is based upon our earliest surviving information: an examination of the sites where these early Christians lived and worked. Archaeology, combined with the study of place names, inscribed stones and early texts, offers us important clues which help us to piece together something of the fascinating world of early Irish Christianity. Elizabeth Rees, an acknowledged authority on Celtic Christianity, has produced this insightful history which is the first in an exciting new series. Illustrated throughout with her own evocative photographs of where these saints resided and worked, the reader is drawn into the beautiful world which these men and women inhabited.

Who were the Celtic saints of Britain? Why did them embark on long pilgrimages? Where were they going and what prompted them to make such journeys? Elizabeth Rees recreates the experiences of many of the well-known and lesser known Celtic missionaries, saints, monks, nuns and martyrs, pieced together through archaeological and literary evidence. Furnished with maps of sites mentioned in the text, routes taken and drawings of artefacts and buildings.

This Dictionary is part of the Oxford Reference Collection: using sustainable print-on-demand technology to make the acclaimed backlist of the Oxford Reference programme perennially available in hardback format.A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology is a comprehensive and accessible survey of one of the world's richest mythological traditions. It covers the people, themes, concepts, places, and creatures of Celtic mythology, saga, legend, and folklore from both ancient pagan origins, and moderntraditions.

Most books about Celtic saints are based on their legendary medieval lives. This book, however, is based upon our earliest surviving information: a study of the sites where these early Christians lived and worked. Archaeology, combined with early inscriptions and texts offers us important clues which help us to piece together something of the fascinating world of early Welsh Christianity. The book is illustrated with the author’s own evocative photographs of where each saint lived and worked. The reader is therefore drawn into the beautiful world which these men and women inhabited. Follows on from the popular A Dictionary of Celtic Saints and Celtic Saints of Ireland

In the ten years since its publication by Four Courts Press in 2011 A dictionary of Irish saints has attracted a large amount of supplementary material, mainly through comments and corrections provided by readers, colleagues and reviewers. As these are to be included in a planned second edition of the Dictionary, it is felt by both Press and author that those who own a copy of the first edition should also benefit from them through this publication.

A comprehensive and accessible survey of the one of the world's richest mythological traditions. It covers the people, themes, concepts, places, and creatures of Celtic mythology, saga, legend, and folklore from both ancient and modern traditions, in 4,000 entries ranging from brief definitions to short essays. An introductory essay explores the origins and identity of Celts, the history of the Celtic revival, and the meaning and role of mythology.