Old Irish: plenty of variation, but of what kind? (O'Donnell Lecture 2026)

This year's O'Donnell Lecture will be given by Dr Aaron Griffith (Utrecht University) on 8 May at 5.30pm at the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities in room 00.063 (on the ground floor).

While our Old Irish sources attested in contemporary manuscripts show remarkable uniformity in their language, they nonetheless show some degree of variation. Indeed, there has been a recent burst of activity investigating exactly this issue. While a good deal of variation has been identified, we are not able to classify much of it with any degree of confidence. That is to say, is it diachronic, diatopic, diastratic or of some other type?  This talk examines the state of the question and offers possible ways forward with some preliminary results from recent work.

The lecture will be followed by a drinks reception. All welcome! Tickets are free but booking is required. Registration will open soon.