A UCC Middle English scholar is leading a project on the first parallel English/French edition of The Mirror, a collection of sixty 15th century sermons.
The sermons, written for each Sunday of the church year as well as the major festivals, were translated into English from the original French in the 15th century. After 1409 in England, the translation of biblical material into the vernacular was prohibited, and those found with such works were accused of the heresy known as Lollardy - Lollards being followers of the religious reformer John Wyclif. Six manuscripts in the Middle English text and nine in the Anglo-Norman are extant. Most are in English libraries but two are in the US and one in Paris.
Dr Margaret Connolly of the department of English at UCC and a colleague, Mr Thomas C. Duncan of the University of St Andrews, are particularly interested in one Middle English text at the University of Glasgow which has been known about since the end of the 19th century.
They are working on a project which will lead to an edition of both the English and French texts in parallel, to be published in the Middle English Texts series. It will probably take another 10 years to bring the project to fruition.