Cathach of St. Columba

The Cathach of St. Columba (Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, s. n.) is an early seventh century Irish Psalter. It is traditionally associated with St. Columba (d. 597), and was identified as the copy made by him of a book loaned to him by St. Finnian, and which led to the Battle of Cul Dremhe in 561. Paleographic evidence, however, dates, the manuscript to the seventh century. The 58 folios in the damaged and incomplete manuscript contain the text of Psalms 30:10 to 105:13 in Latin (the Vulgate version). Rubrics written in Old Irish appear above the text of the Psalms. It may be the oldest known Irish manuscript and may contain the earliest examples of a written Goidelic language apart from Ogham inscriptions. The maximum foio size is 200 by 130 mm.

External links

• The Cathach at the Royal Irish Academy