UCMS-lezing: The Medieval Irish Translation of the ‘Spiritus Guidonis’

On Tuesday 9 May Caitríona Ó Dochartaigh (University College Cork) will give a lecture entitled ‘The Medieval Irish Translations of the Spiritus Guidonis‘. The lecture is organised by the Utrecht Centre for Medieval Studies.

THE MEDIEVAL IRISH TRANSLATIONS OF THE SPIRITUS GUIDONIS
In the year 1323, in a small town in the south of France called Alès, something quite extraordinary happened. Eight days after having being buried, Gui de Corvo, a well-to-do citizen of the town appeared as a ghost back in his own house to his terrified widow. The story of this extraordinary event spread all over medieval Europe and the account of the conversation between the ghost and a local Dominican prior was disseminated very widely.

Thus far, over one hundred manuscripts of the De Spiritu Guidonis in Latin have been unearthed which is testament to the success of this work aimed at promoting intercession for souls in purgatory. The conversation was also translated into many different language and there survive today nine English translations, six French, four German, four Welsh and one each in Italian, Swedish, and Catalan. In addition, an Irish translation survives and the relationship between the Irish text and the wider transmission of this medieval ghost story reveals much about post-Noman Gaelic Ireland.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Caitríona Ó Dochartaigh graduated with a first class honours BA in Old Irish and German from the National University of Ireland, Galway, where she also completed her MA thesis. She subsequently won a scholarship to attend the University of Cambridge where she conducted a comparative study of Old Irish and Latin devotional material for her PhD thesis. Her research activity concentrates on medieval Irish religious material including devotional literature, prayers, litanies, hymns and apocrypha.  

More information: www.uu.nl