The Pearl of the Kingdom, by Ailbhe Ó Corráin

Paperback review

The Pearl of the Kingdom: a study of A fhir léghtha an leabhráin bhig by Giolla Brighde Ó hEódhasa
The Pearl of the Kingdom: a study of A fhir léghtha an leabhráin bhig by Giolla Brighde Ó hEódhasa
Author: Ailbhe Ó Corráin
ISBN-13: 978-82-7099-718-3
Publisher: The Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture/Novus Press, Oslo
Guideline Price: €0

Originally given as a lecture to mark the 400th anniversary of the poem A Fhir Léghtha an Leabhráin Bhig, by Giolla Brighde Ó hEódhasa, this publication in English about a "little gem of a poem" in Irish gives the reader a wee jewel of a book in return. Ó Corráin, professor of Irish at the University of Ulster in Derry, takes these eight stanzas and brings the reader back to a Europe at war over religion.

Written by Ó hEódhasa as a prologue to his catechism An Teagasc Críosdaidhe (Christian Teaching, 1611) – "the first Counter-Reformation book to be printed in Irish" – the poem was his attempt "to engage with fundamental issues of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation". The poem in Irish, with translation, is published along with Ó Corráin's masterful commentary, which guides the reader along theology and history.

It is not a long book, but it deals with big themes. There is something wonderful in reading an original text in Irish from centuries ago that touches on issues that still concern us.

Pól Ó Muirí

Pól Ó Muirí

Pól Ó Muirí is a former Irish-language editor of The Irish Times