Abstract
The artistic output of the monasteries of medieval Ireland is often identified as the high point of Irish
artistic achievement, with the spectacular illuminated manuscripts such as the Book of Kells
regarded as among the most significant works of medieval art ever produced. With the church acting
as the most significant patron of the arts at this time in Ireland, the majority of manuscripts are
unsurprisingly religious in nature, but there are also many works, such as the Annals of the Four
Masters, which contain substantial amounts of historical information, and in many cases, are the
sole surviving historical records of a period. In addition to their obvious artistic importance,
medieval Irish manuscripts are objects of immense historic and cultural significance. Their value,
therefore, is undisputed and when considered in relation to their age and the fragility of the
material, they are ideal candidates to be converted into digital collections.
Indeed, extensive institutional resources and expertise have already been spent on the creation of
digital collections to house many of these manuscripts. However, in spite of their importance and
the time, effort and outlay that goes into the creation of these collections, they are frustratingly
difficult to locate online and, more often than not, arduous to use and exploit. This dissertation
seeks to understand why medieval Irish manuscripts, and digital collections in general, are so
difficult to discover on-line by way of search engines and propose possible solutions.
In light of an absence of literature on this topic in an Irish context, this research will look establish it
own core data by conducting in-depth interviews with current practitioners and experts in Ireland to
establish its own conclusions and recommendations, which will be then contextualised within
international scholarship on the subject. As a result of these interviews: key issues will be identified
that contribute to issue of the discoverability of digital collections, with a focus on medieval Irish
manuscripts.
The major contribution of the research will be the establishment a base level of data in an Irish
context in the field of Irish digital collections concerning medieval manuscripts in response to the
dearth of a pre-existing corpus of literature. This dissertation endeavours to start an important
conversation in the area of digital humanities in Ireland over the challenges facing digital collections
projects – especially those concerned with medieval Irish manuscripts – and to propose practical and
achievable solutions.
