CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND
May 2017
CAI BRANCH & UNIVERSITY NEWS CAI CORK The Cork Branch is pleased to report that it has had a varied series of lectures for its Spring term. First up in February was Dr Alexandra Guglielmi of the School of Archaeology at UCD. The title of the lecture was ‘In the shadow of the Empire, Ireland, Rome and Beyond’. In this wide-ranging lecture, Alexandra traced Ireland and what we know of it from the ancient sources: how migration and communication in the Roman period can assist our understanding. Julius Caesar, famous for many things, put Ireland on the Roman map. As a result, Ptolemy’s map of the second century AD has a better developed east coast side. This is supported by Tacitus, who states that trade existed between Ireland and Britain. Alexandra made reference to three finds/burials. The Stoneyford Burial in County Kilkenny was a typical, classic Roman cremation burial from between the first and second centuries AD. The Newgrange Finds from the first to fourth centuries AD yielded inscribed Bronze Age torcs, brooches and Roman coins (denarii and solidi). All of these were personal items and are similar to the kind of things found in Roman Britain, hence, links between Ireland and England. Finally, the Balline Hoard from the late fourth to fifth centuries AD comprised of hacked silver, perhaps booty from raids! LIARI, the Late Iron Age and ‘Roman’ Ireland Project, looked at the teeth of people who were buried, some in an Irish manner, others not. The result was that some people were not Irish, which proves the movement of people and animals in the early part of the Roman Empire. The conclusion drawn was that Ireland was a part of wider European Roman world. 8
Dr Damian Bracken of the School of History in UCC spoke to us in March. Damian is an expert on St Columbanus and his title on the night was: ‘Ireland’s place in the Roman world: Columbanus and the rhetoric of concordia’. Columbanus was a bit of a wanderer, according to his biographer, Jonus of Bobbio. Suffering a mid-life crisis, he ventured to the continent, to St Malo. After much travelling and being exiled by the Merovingian Queen, he ended up in 610 establishing a monastery in Bobbio, which was known as the Montecassino of the North. Columbanus’ monastery was seen as a blueprint for monasteries throughout Europe. Columbanus, coming from Ireland, had an orthodox attitude towards Christianity. Ireland had no snow and no snakes and thus was perfect. How far we have strayed from the ideal!! We found out that Columbanus was not very taken by the Gaulish bishops and they by him. His attitude to bishops in general was dim, though he was very inclined towards Pope Gregory the Great. Diversity of the natural world to promote unity was a big factor in Columbanus’ world and Pope Gregory agreed with this. One size does not fit all. Some places produce better wine, other places whiskey and others wheat. It is the same with the church and this leads onto the Roman ideas of Concord, harmony. The Church is a body and all parts must work together like all parts of the corporeal body must work together. The Romans valued peace: the Pax Romana emulated the Pax Concordia. Before Augustus there was war; Augustus brought peace. For Christians, war drives God away, while peace invites God in. Christian barbarians bucked the trend! What was a Christian now if, prior to this, only imperial people were Christians? Columbanus was a