Storytelling and Irish Manuscripts - Acallam na Senórach and Medieval Narrative Studies

Explore medieval Irish storytelling traditions and manuscript studies in this 51-minute podcast episode featuring Dr Nina Cnockaert-Guillou, an O'Donovan postdoctoral scholar at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. Delve into the fascinating world of Acallam na Senórach ('The Colloquy of the Ancients'), a 13th-century Middle Irish text and its various versions throughout history, including the Acallam Bec, the Reeves Agallamh na Seanórach, and later adaptations. Learn about the fíanaigecht (Finn Cycle) stories centered around Finn mac Cumaill and his warriors, and discover how these narratives evolved across centuries. Examine different approaches to studying narrative texts through the lens of narratology, including historical and diachronic methods influenced by scholars like Gérard Genette and Monika Fludernik. Understand the critical importance of working directly with medieval manuscripts rather than relying solely on modern editions, and explore digital humanities tools like TEI/XML tagging and resources such as Irish Script on Screen (ISOS). Gain insights into specific manuscript sources including Oxford Bodleian Library manuscripts and learn about the structural elements of frame tales and embedded narratives. Discover how medieval Celtic studies intersects with modern digital scholarship and narrative theory, making this complex literary tradition accessible to contemporary researchers and enthusiasts.