Saturday 31 October 2015

EYSTEIN THANISCH---PH.D. in Celtic and Scottish Studies, University of Edinburgh

On 30th October 2015, my friend Eystein Thanisch, also a member of Old Saint Paul's, successfully defended his Ph.D, thesis, subject to minor correction on the reception and use of the works of the 11th century Irish monk and poet Flann Mainistrech. See Academia.

The title of Eystein's thesis is

The Reception and Use of Flann Mainistrech and his Work in Medieval Gaelic Manuscript Culture

We celebrated in Summerhall and the Potting Shed following his successful defense. Eystein's parents Peter and Anne, and younger brother Alistair were delighted.

Aged 27, Eystein had already completed an undergruaduate masters degree at Cambridge and a postgraduate Masters at Edinburgh, His Ph.D, supervisors were Abigail Burnyeat

and Dr, Anja Gunderloch

of the Department of Celtic and Scottish Studies of the University of Edinburgh.

9 MORE PHOTOS

(The Making of Eystein Thanisch)

Eystein has already reported his research findings to over 20 conferences, and he has published an important article

Flann Mainistrech's Götterdämmerung as a Junction within Lebor Gabála Érenn

in the prestigioius Cambridge journal Quaestio Insularis Please click here to access p.d.f, Click here for his thesis abstract

Flann Mainistrech (active c. 1014 to 1056) is well-attested in medieval and early modern Gaelic manuscripts and in early printed works on Irish history as an authority on history and literary tradition. He appears to have been an ecclesiastical scholar, based at Monasterboice (modern Co. Louth, Ireland), but potentially operating within wider ecclesiastical and political networks.

Almost fifty texts or fragments of texts, mostly poems, are at some point attributed to him. Their subject-matter includes the regnal history of early medieval Irish kingdoms, legendary material on Ireland and the Gaels’ more distant past, universal and classical history, hagiography, and genealogical traditions. In addition, various sources are extant that concern Flann Mainistrech as a character. Most imply that he was considered a pre-eminent authority; some go further and provide impressionistic sketches of his scholarship and locate him in certain social or political settings.