Dr Elizabeth Boyle

    Early Irish (Sean-Ghaeilge)

    Gaeilge agus fáilte

    Lecturer

    Arts Building
    20
    (01) 708 6784

    Biography

    After studying Celtic languages, literature and history at the universities of Glasgow (MA 2002) and Cambridge (MPhil 2003; PhD 2008), I held postdoctoral fellowships at Cambridge and at University College Cork. I was appointed Lecturer in Early Irish at Maynooth in September 2013 and served as Head of Subject from 2015-20. My research focuses on the religious, cultural and intellectual history of medieval Ireland; Ireland’s contacts with Britain and continental Europe; the translation and adaptation of Latin sources into Old and Middle Irish; and the history of the discipline of 'Celtic Studies'.

    Research Interests

    My research interests include:
    • the religious and intellectual history of north-western Europe, c. 400 - c. 1200
    • medieval theology and philosophy
    • education in medieval Ireland 
    • the relationship between Latin and the vernaculars in medieval Britain and Ireland
    • the influence of the Bible on medieval literature and society
    • historiography
    Doctoral students, past and present:
    • Dr Daniel Watson (Aarhus University), Philosophy in Early Medieval Ireland (2019) - awarded the 2020 Johan-Kaspar-Zeuss Prize for best PhD thesis in Celtic Studies
    • Dr Ellen Ganly, The Life and Cult of St Abbán (submitted 2020; degree conferred 2021) 
    • Seán Ó Hoireabhárd (co-supervised with Dr Michael Potterton), The Irish Kings and the English Invasion, Irish Research Council postgraduate scholar (submitted 2021, awaiting viva)
    • Victoria Krivoshchekova, Studies in the Linguistic Foundation of Thought in Early Irish Tradition, Hume Scholar, awarded 2020 Vivien Law Prize for an essay on the history of linguistic ideas (due to submit by January 2023)
    • Chelsey Collins, Paternity and Illegitimacy in Medieval Ireland, Hume Scholar (due to submit by September 2023)
    • Seungyeon Lee, Comparative Study of Irish and Korean Female Divinities: A Gender Studies Perspective, Hume Scholar (part-time, due to submit by September 2027)
    I welcome expressions of interest from potential postgraduate or postdoctoral scholars working on any aspect of early Irish intellectual, cultural or religious history.

    Books

      Year Publication
    2022 Fierce Appetites: Lessons From My Year of Untamed Thinking.
    Elizabeth Boyle (2022) Fierce Appetites: Lessons From My Year of Untamed Thinking. Dublin and London: Penguin. [Details]
    2021 History and Salvation in Medieval Ireland.
    Elizabeth Boyle (2021) History and Salvation in Medieval Ireland. Abingdon/New York: Routledge. [Details]
    2014 Authorities and Adaptations: the Reworking and Transmission of Textual Sources in Medieval Ireland.
    Elizabeth Boyle and Deborah Hayden (2014) Authorities and Adaptations: the Reworking and Transmission of Textual Sources in Medieval Ireland. : Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. [Details]
    2011 The Tripartite Life of Whitley Stokes (1830 - 1909).
    Elizabeth Boyle and Paul Russell (2011) The Tripartite Life of Whitley Stokes (1830 - 1909). : Four Courts Press. [Details]

    Book Chapters

      Year Publication
    2020 'Philologia and Philology: Allegory and Multilingualism in the Corpus Martianus Capella'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2020) 'Philologia and Philology: Allegory and Multilingualism in the Corpus Martianus Capella' In: Benjamin Albritton, Georgia Henley and Elaine Treharne (eds). Medieval Manuscripts in the Digital Age. Abingdon/New York: Routledge. [Details]
    2020 'Early Medieval Perspectives on Pre-Christian Traditions in the Celtic World'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2020) 'Early Medieval Perspectives on Pre-Christian Traditions in the Celtic World' In: Matthias Heiduk, Klaus Herbers and Hans-Christian Lehner (eds). Prognostication in the Medieval World: A Handbook. Berlin: De Gruyter. [DOI] [Details]
    2020 'The Afterlife in the Medieval Celtic-Speaking World'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2020) 'The Afterlife in the Medieval Celtic-Speaking World' In: Richard M. Pollar (eds). Imagining the Medieval Afterlife. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [Details]
    2019 'Aspects of Philosophical Discourse in Eleventh- and Twelfth-Century Ireland: Metaphor, Morality and the Mind'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2019) 'Aspects of Philosophical Discourse in Eleventh- and Twelfth-Century Ireland: Metaphor, Morality and the Mind' In: Susan Gottlöber (eds). Philosophy in Ireland: Past Actualities and Present Challenges. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. [Details]
    2018 'Biblical History in the Book of Ballymote'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2018) 'Biblical History in the Book of Ballymote' In: Ruairí Ó hUiginn (eds). The Book of Ballymote. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. [Details]
    2018 'Eschatology and Reform in Early Irish Law: the Evidence of Sunday Legislation'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2018) 'Eschatology and Reform in Early Irish Law: the Evidence of Sunday Legislation' In: Matthew Gabriele and James Palmer (eds). Apocalypse and Reform from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages. Abingdon: Routledge. [Details]
    2018 'Biblical Kings and Kingship Theory in Medieval Ireland and Norway'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2018) 'Biblical Kings and Kingship Theory in Medieval Ireland and Norway' In: Karl G. Johansson and Elise Kleivane (eds). Speculum Septentrionale: Konungs skuggsjá and the European Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. Oslo: Novus Forlag. [Details]
    2017 'Writing Medieval Irish Religious History in the Nineteenth Century'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2017) 'Writing Medieval Irish Religious History in the Nineteenth Century' In: Jacqueline Hill and Mary Ann Lyons (eds). Representing Irish Religious Histories: Historiography, Ideology and Practice. London and New York: Palgrave. [Details]
    2017 'The Forms and Functions of Medieval Irish Poetry and the Limitations of Modern Aesthetics'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2017) 'The Forms and Functions of Medieval Irish Poetry and the Limitations of Modern Aesthetics' In: Tom Birkett and Kirsty March Lyons (eds). From Eald to New: Translating Early Medieval Poetry for the Twenty-First Century. Woodbridge: Boydell and Brewer. [Details]
    2017 'The Twelfth-Century English Transmission of a Poem on the Threefold Division of the Mind, Attributed to Patrick of Dublin (d. 1084)'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2017) 'The Twelfth-Century English Transmission of a Poem on the Threefold Division of the Mind, Attributed to Patrick of Dublin (d. 1084)' In: Wolfram R. Keller and Dagmar Schlueter (eds). 'A Fantastic and Abstruse Latinity'? Hiberno-Continental Cultural and Literary Interactions in the Middle Ages. Muenster: Nodus Publikationen. [Details]
    2016 'Allegory, the áes dána and the Liberal Arts in Medieval Irish Literature'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2016) 'Allegory, the áes dána and the Liberal Arts in Medieval Irish Literature' In: Grammatica, Gramadach and Gramadeg: Vernacular Grammar and Grammarians in Medieval Ireland and Wales. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. [Details]
    2015 'Eschatological Themes in Lebor na hUidre'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2015) 'Eschatological Themes in Lebor na hUidre' In: Codices Hibernenses Eximii I: Lebor na hUidre. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. [Details]
    2015 'Forming the Future for Individuals and Institutions in Medieval Ireland'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2015) 'Forming the Future for Individuals and Institutions in Medieval Ireland' In: Mittelalterliche Zukunftsgestaltung im angesicht des Weltendes – Forming the Future Facing the End of the World in the Middle Ages. Köln: Böhlau Verlag. [Details]
    2015 'Senchas Gall Átha Clíath: Aspects of the Cult of Saint Patrick in the Twelfth Century '
    Elizabeth Boyle and Liam Breatnach (2015) 'Senchas Gall Átha Clíath: Aspects of the Cult of Saint Patrick in the Twelfth Century ' In: Sacred Histories: A Festschrift for Máire Herbert. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
    2014 'On the Wonders of Ireland: Translation and Adaptation'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2014) 'On the Wonders of Ireland: Translation and Adaptation' In: Authorities and Adaptations: the Reworking and Transmission of Textual Sources in Medieval Ireland. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. [full-text] [Details]
    2014 'De tribus habitaculis animae'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2014) 'De tribus habitaculis animae' In: The End and Beyond: Medieval Irish Eschatology. Aberystwyth: Celtic Studies Publications. [full-text] [Details]
    2013 'Resurrection: the Study of Medieval Irish Eschatology in the Nineteenth Century'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2013) 'Resurrection: the Study of Medieval Irish Eschatology in the Nineteenth Century' In: Romantic Ireland: from Tone to Gonne; Fresh Perspectives on Nineteenth-Century Ireland. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars' Publishing. [Details]
    2013 'Sacrifice and Salvation in Echtgus a Canins Poetic Treatise on the Eucharist'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2013) 'Sacrifice and Salvation in Echtgus a Canins Poetic Treatise on the Eucharist' In: Envisioning Christ on the Cross: Ireland and the Early Medieval West. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [full-text] [Details]
    2011 'The Impiety of the Intellect: Whitley Stokes and the Pre-Raphaelites'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2011) 'The Impiety of the Intellect: Whitley Stokes and the Pre-Raphaelites' In: The Tripartite Life of Whitley Stokes (1830 - 1909). Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
    2010 'Margaret Stokes (1832-1900) and the Study of Medieval Irish Art in the Nineteenth Century'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2010) 'Margaret Stokes (1832-1900) and the Study of Medieval Irish Art in the Nineteenth Century' In: Visual, Material and Print Culture in Nineteenth-Century Ireland. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
    2010 'Visionary Texts'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2010) 'Visionary Texts' In: Handbook of Medieval Studies: Terms - Methods - Trends. Berlin & New York: De Gruyter. [Details]

    Peer Reviewed Journals

      Year Publication
    2021 'The Poetics of Irony in Middle Irish Literature'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2021) 'The Poetics of Irony in Middle Irish Literature'. North American Journal of Celtic Studies, 5 (2):194-213 [DOI] [Details]
    2019 'WIIITLEY STOKES AND THE COMPOSITION OF DANTE ROSSETTI'S "MY FATHER'S CLOSE"'
    Boyle, E;McEvansoneya, P (2019) 'WIIITLEY STOKES AND THE COMPOSITION OF DANTE ROSSETTI'S "MY FATHER'S CLOSE"'. Journal of Pre-Raphaelite Studies-New Series, 28 :11-15 [Details]
    2016 'The Rhetoric and Reality of Reform in Irish Eschatological Thought, c. 1000 – 1150'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2016) 'The Rhetoric and Reality of Reform in Irish Eschatological Thought, c. 1000 – 1150'. History of Religions, 55 :269-288 [full-text] [Details]
    2013 'Lay Morality, Clerical Immorality, and Pilgrimage in Tenth-Century Ireland: Cethrur Macclérech and Epscop do Gáedelaib'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2013) 'Lay Morality, Clerical Immorality, and Pilgrimage in Tenth-Century Ireland: Cethrur Macclérech and Epscop do Gáedelaib'. Studia Hibernica, 39 :9-48 [full-text] [Details]
    2012 'The Authorship and Transmission of De tribus habitaculis animae'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2012) 'The Authorship and Transmission of De tribus habitaculis animae'. Journal of Medieval Latin, 22 :49-65 [Details]
    2010 'Eschatological Justice in Scela lai bratha'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2010) 'Eschatological Justice in Scela lai bratha'. CAMBRIAN MEDIEVAL CELTIC STUDIES, 59 :39-54 [full-text] [Details]
    2009 'Neoplatonic Thought in Medieval Ireland: the Evidence of Scela na esergi'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2009) 'Neoplatonic Thought in Medieval Ireland: the Evidence of Scela na esergi'. MEDIUM AEVUM, 78 :216-230 [full-text] [Details]
    2005 'A Welsh Record of an Anglo-Saxon Political Mutilation'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2005) 'A Welsh Record of an Anglo-Saxon Political Mutilation'. ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND, 35 :245-249 [full-text] [Details]

    Other Journals

      Year Publication
    2005 'Stranger in a Strange Land: an Irish Monk in Germany and a Vision of the Afterlife'
    Elizabeth Boyle (2005) 'Stranger in a Strange Land: an Irish Monk in Germany and a Vision of the Afterlife' Quaestio Insularis, 6 :120-134. [Details]

    Book Review

      Year Publication
    2020 Church and Settlement in Ireland.
    Boyle, E (2020) Church and Settlement in Ireland. LONDON: Book Review [DOI] [Details]
    2015 Coire Sois-The Cauldron of Knowledge: A Companion to Early Irish Saga.
    Boyle, E (2015) Coire Sois-The Cauldron of Knowledge: A Companion to Early Irish Saga. LONDON: Book Review [DOI] [Details]
    2019 Pilgrimage to Heaven. Eschatology and Monastic Spirituality in Early Medieval Ireland.
    Boyle, E (2019) Pilgrimage to Heaven. Eschatology and Monastic Spirituality in Early Medieval Ireland. BOLOGNA: Book Review [Details]
    2019 Moses the Egyptian in the Illustrated Old English Hexateuch (London, British Library Cotton MS Claudius B.iv).
    Boyle, E (2019) Moses the Egyptian in the Illustrated Old English Hexateuch (London, British Library Cotton MS Claudius B.iv). LONDON: Book Review [DOI] [Details]
    2016 Ireland in the Medieval World AD 400-1000: Landscape, Kingship and Religion.
    Boyle, E (2016) Ireland in the Medieval World AD 400-1000: Landscape, Kingship and Religion. HOBOKEN: Book Review [DOI] [Details]
    2017 The Irish Church, Its Reform and the English Invasion.
    Boyle, E (2017) The Irish Church, Its Reform and the English Invasion. LONDON: Book Review [Details]
    2017 Literacy and Identity in Early Medieval Ireland.
    Boyle, E (2017) Literacy and Identity in Early Medieval Ireland. HOBOKEN: Book Review [DOI] [Details]
    2012 Ireland and India: the Life and Scholarship of Whitley Stokes (1830 - 1909).
    Elizabeth Boyle and Paul Russell (2012) Ireland and India: the Life and Scholarship of Whitley Stokes (1830 - 1909). Book Review [Details]
    2012 Professor Raymond Page (1924 - 2012).
    Elizabeth Boyle (2012) Professor Raymond Page (1924 - 2012). Book Review [Details]
    2011 John Carey, ed. & trans., Corpus Christianorum Series Apocryphorum 16, Apocrypha Hiberniae II, Apocalypta 1 – In Tenga Bithnua – The Ever-new Tongue.
    Elizabeth Boyle (2011) John Carey, ed. & trans., Corpus Christianorum Series Apocryphorum 16, Apocrypha Hiberniae II, Apocalypta 1 – In Tenga Bithnua – The Ever-new Tongue. Book Review [Details]

    Other

      Year Publication
    2013 The Beati in Three Middle Irish Texts.
    Elizabeth Boyle (2013) The Beati in Three Middle Irish Texts. Other [Details]
    2012 Echtgus Úa Cúanáin’s Poem on the Eucharist.
    Elizabeth Boyle (2012) Echtgus Úa Cúanáin’s Poem on the Eucharist. Other [Details]

    Honours and Awards

      Year Title Awarding Body
    2013 Teaching and Learning Fellowship, NUI Maynooth Mayooth University Centre for Teaching and Learning
    2012 Marie Curie Fellowship Gerda Henkel Stiftung
    2009 Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship Leverhulme Trust
    2008 Medium Aevum Essay Prize Society for the Study of Medieval Languages and Literature

    Teaching Interests

    I teach a broad range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules, including:
    • Humour in medieval Celtic literature
    • Heroic literature
    • Medieval Irish poetry
    • Old Irish language
    • Textual criticism
    • Ecclesiastical history
    I have also supervised postgraduate (MA, MLitt, and PhD) research on topics including medieval Irish philosophy and theology; medieval Irish literary analysis; and medieval Irish religious and cultural history. I welcome enquiries from prospective postgraduates working in any of these areas.


    External Collaborators

      Name Role / Description Country
    Professor Liam Breatnach. Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies Co-author
    Dr Deborah Hayden. Maynooth University Co-editor
    Professor Paul Russell. University of Cambridge Co-editor