One of the most important surviving records of medieval Ireland – The Annals of Inisfallen – which is currently on display at the Glucksman Art Gallery, University College Cork. Photo: Valerie O’SullivanTHE Annals of Inisfallen manuscript returned to Ireland last month and an exhibition ‘Recording the Past’ is currently on public display, until November 1, 2026, at The Glucksman Gallery, University College Cork (UCC).
To mark this historic exhibition, a full day conference dedicated to the island treasure will be held in Killarney House, on Saturday, October 10, 9am- 5pm.
The annals were previously on display at Muckross House in 1983, so this is the 2nd time this highly treasured medieval record visits Ireland.
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The Annals of Inisfallen are a single bound manuscript consisting of 57 vellum leaves, primarily written by monks at the island monastery of Inisfallen on the Lakes of Killarney.
It documents over 1,000 years of Irish history (focusing heavily on Munster) in a mix of Latin and Irish. The document is on loan from Oxford University’s Bodleian Library, where it has been preserved for more than 250 years.
Innisfallen Island on Lough Lein, Killarney National Park, is home to the ruins of Innisfallen Monastery, an important seat of learning in Europe, founded in 631 by St. Faithleann and dedicated to St Fionán.
Maelsuthain O’Cearbhail, an important political and academic figure in Ireland, was educated by the monks and is credited with bringing the Annals of Innisfallen to the Island. Today visitors travel by boat from Ross Castle to visit this peaceful island.
The conference, entitled ‘Recording the Past’: Annals of Inisfallen and the making of Irish History Exhibition’, will be opened by NPWS Regional Manager, Pat Dawson, and will include a welcoming address by Cathaoirleach Killarney Municipal District, Cllr. John O’Donoghue, and Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce Vice President, Carol Dempsey.
Speakers include: Nessa O’Connor: ‘Archaeological finds at Inisfallen: some tales of discovery from an island monastery and its landscape’, Pádraig Ó Macháin (UCC), ‘Telling tales in the Annals of Inisfallen’, John Gillis: ‘Making the medieval Irish book’. Other speakers include: Edel Breathnach, Mike Webb, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Timothy O’Neill, Ken Ó Donnchú, Nollaig Ó Muraíle and Paul McCotter.
The conference is free, but space is limited, so booking is essential. Booking, on Eventbrite only, will open on Monday, October 5 at 9.30am.
