Photo: left to right, Jimmy Deenihan, T.D., Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Tim O’Neill, Charles Doherty. Photo credit: johnnie Doyle.
Jimmy Deenihan, T.D., Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht will open the first conference to be held on the history of science in medieval Ireland in the National Library on Tuesday 17 July 2012. This two-day conference Music and the Stars: mathematics in medieval Ireland – a model for the present? is organised by the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. Mr. Charles Doherty, recently retired Senior Lecturer at UCD’s School of History and Archives, is president of the Society.
The conference, supported by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht along with funding from the Heritage Council, will showcase Ireland’s expertise in science, astronomy and the calculation of time in the early medieval period.
Dr Immo Warntjes, University of Greifswald, Germany, explains ‘The earliest known textbook on the reckoning of time was discovered in 2006 in the Benedictine monastery of Einsiedeln in the Swiss Alps. It was clearly composed by an Irishman c. AD 700 and is evidence of the supremacy of Irish learning at that time. Besides other highly original features, this Latin text contains the oldest list of numerals written in the Irish language.’ Images of this unique manuscript will be shown by Dr Warntjes at the conference. Scribe Tim O’Neill has transcribed these numerals in the style of writing in use in Ireland c. AD 700.
A panel of Irish and international experts will highlight the study of mathematics in early medieval Ireland and examine the influence this had on the great artistic achievements of the period such as the Books of Kells and Durrow, the sculptured crosses and much more.
Commenting on the up-coming conference, Minister Deenihan said, ‘The contribution of Ireland’s saints and scholars to European culture has long been recognised, our early scientists can now claim their rightful place as originators of the skills fundamental to scientific endeavour. This conference brings to light our scientific heritage and reminds us that science has always been a part of our lives.’
Mary Kelly, Ph.D. student at the UCD’s School of History and Archives and conference organiser, explains the title, ‘This refers to medieval mathematics which was divided into four branches known collectively as the quadrivium: arithmetic, music, geometry, astronomy. The intention is to illustrate the appeal of medieval mathematics and offer a reappraisal of the approach to mathematics in modern education.’
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