St Patrick and the joys of Hiberno-Latin with Dr Anthony Harvey episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 12, 2026 · 53 MIN

St Patrick and the joys of Hiberno-Latin with Dr Anthony Harvey

from The Medieval Irish History Podcast · host The Medieval Irish History Podcast

Happy St Patrick's Festival one and all! Did you know that St Patrick's writings are unique as the only surviving Latin narrative texts of his age to have been composed anywhere outside of Roman imperial territory? This month we bring you a glimpse into the fascinating world of Royal Irish Academy lexicographer Dr Anthony Harvey. It is often thought that linguistics has to be very technical and complicated (it doesn’t), as well as boring (it needn’t be). Dr Harvey explains how linguistics can help the historian and reveals how the Latin language evolved in medieval Ireland. We discuss Flann O'Brien, 'disunderstanding', playing with words, Virgilius Maro Grammaticus, West Brit syndrome and much more. Please check out out the Royal Irish Academy's confessio.ie website — your one stop shop for all things St Patrick!Suggested resources:Anthony Harvey, How Linguistics can help the historian (Dublin, 2021): https://shop.ria.ie/products/how-linguistics-can-help-the-historianAnthony Harvey, "Frankenstein in the Scriptorium: Bringing Latin to Life in Early Medieval Ireland”, in Code-Switching in Medieval Ireland and England, ed. M. Ó Flaithearta (Bremen, 2018), 105–19The Dictionary of Medieval Latin from Celtic Sources: https://journals.eeecs.qub.ac.uk/DMLCS/Regular episodes every month (on a Friday)Email: [email protected]: Tiago Veloso SilvaSupported by the Dept of Early Irish, Maynooth University & Taighde Éireann/Research Ireland.Views expressed are the speakers' own.Logo design: Matheus de Paula CostaMusic: Lexin_Music

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St Patrick and the joys of Hiberno-Latin with Dr Anthony Harvey

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