The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-08-22
Irish Scholarship.

In the Sun of June "a ]. F. Healey
of Elkins. w. Va, pays a tribute to
the educational influence of Ireland in
! the early Middle Ages. The current
works on the history of education do
scant Justice to Ireland's influence on
medieval culture throughout Europe.
Ireland was the teacher of the proud
est nations of Europe from the fifth to
the tenth centuries and laid the foun-
dations Of modern civilization. The an
nails of central and western Europe, the
mOnastic chronicles, the churches, the
lives of medieval saints the martyr
Ologies, Inscriptions and local traditions
still bear witness that a flood of Irish
teachers penetrated into all parts of
Europe and were actively engaged in
the work of teaching from the fifth to
the tenth century. They were on the
Rhine. the Danube and the Main, on
the Swiss lakes, on the sides of the
Alps and Apennines, in Gaul, Spain,
Belgium. Bavaria. Holland, on the
plains of Lombardy, in southern Italy
ir the islands of the Northern Seas
Five centuries of noble teaching on the
continent stands to Ireland's credit
Thememory of their works is still pre-
served through the length and breadth
of Europe. The schools of Lindisfarne
in England. Bobbio in Italy, Verdum in
France, Vienna, Ratisbon, Wurzburg,
Cologne, Erfurt, in Germany, were
founded by Irishmen.
The renowned monastic school of
Saeckingen on the Rhine was founded
by st. Fridolin. St Columbia taught in
the schools of Zurich and Constant,
Sigisbert in the school of Dissentis
and at Walsort; Wurzburg was made
celebrated by Killian, and Salzburg by
St Nirgilius The renowned schools Of
Liege and Malines in Belgium were
founded by Irish teachers.
John ScotUs Erigena. who was born
in Ireland and trained in its schools.
was the head master of the schools of
the French King Charles the Bald.
The Frankish annals of the eighth
and ninth centuries attest that the
court of the King of the Franks was
filled with Irish philosophers. such as
Virgilius, Clement and Dicuil
Henrico of AuXerre tells US that these
teachers came over in fiocks from Ire
land to France, at the time that they
were at the court of Louis II in Ger
many, where the Irishman Manno drew
about him the most learned of the
Franks. But for the untiring activity
Of these noble teachers we would not
have the Scriptures today The Irish
monks preserved them, copied them un-
eeasingly and carried them in their
book satchels all over Europe The
oldest book of the New Testament, the
Muratorian Canon, comes down to us
from Irish monks of Bobibo in Italy.
who Transcribed it 1900 years ago, al
though it was then 500 years old.
1t is well known that the Latin Vul-
@1rnw~
development of medieval Europe II
formed the literary taste and was the
instrument of philosophical and theo-
logical expression.
The Greek and Latin classics were
preserved and interpreted by Irish
teachers. The literary culture of Eu-
'ope is due in great degree to the con-
icientious, painstaking labor of these
ezalous custodians of the classics.
Among the oldest Latin and Greek
yrammars and dictionaries in our pos
session are those produced by Irish
authors.
Some ancient treatiseS on surveying |
natural science and medicine
are preserved owing to the labors of
-hese great men.
The best classical libraries of Europe
n the Middle Ages were in the Irish
OIL bODDlO IN Italy ana 81. !
Gall in Switzerland. The Irish monks
we're the most renowned philosophers
If the eighth and ninth centuries. They
we're versed in Plato, Aristotle and
3oethius, the philosophy of the Scrip |
-ures and the history of the world.
The literature of the Irish monks |
shows a high degree of artistic culture |
md a broad knowledge of the fine arts |
To the Irish teachers was accorded |
he merit of superiority in music, even
~ Anglo-Norman writers, as late as |
he twelfth century. The greatest school |
If music in the ninth century was at |
St Gall in Switzerland, presided over
~ Marcellus, the most accomplished |
nan of the century. His disciples, Not |
Ier and Tuotillo, were famous musi- |
,ians, and Tuotilla was, moreover, a |
painter and sculptor. the Michael An
cello of his day. The Irish developed |
l national music which is regarded as
unsurpassed. Some of the most popu- |
ar airs of more than one great opera |
are taken from the collection of Irish |
music of the Middle Ages
The culture of modern Europe is due |
N great measure to the interchangeable |
activity of these Irish monks who were |
the pioneers and blazcd the way |
through the painless wilderness. They |