Cumhdach

Bosca miotail ornáideach is ea  cumhdach  (cumdach) chun lámhscríbhinní nó taisí as an luath-mheánaois i nÉirinn a choimeád.  De ghnáth, tá siad níos sine ná an réad laistigh, go minic le roinnt aoiseanna: an leabhar as buaic-ré na mainistreacha roimh an mbliain 800, agus an cumhdach tar éis na bliana 1000.  

De ghnáth mar bhundearadh, tá crios ar an aghaidh maisithe le clocha lómhara móra, agus maisiúcháin éagsúla thart uirthi.  D'iompraítí iad le slabhra miotail nó téad leathair cord, caite ar crios nó timpeall an mhuinéil in aice an chroí, ag tabhairt de thairbhe leas spioradálta agus leighis (cf Soiscéal Naomh Cuthbert, a choinnítí i mála leathair in Durham meánaoiseach).  D'úsáidtí iad go hoifigiúil mar fhinnéithe conartha.  Bhíodh cosantóirí ó oidhreacht as clanna de chuid na rítheaghlach. 

Níl ach cúig luath-chumhdach ann inniu atá fós ar mharthain.  Caomhnaítear iad siúd atá ar mharthain i gColáiste na Tríonóide (CnT) agus i nArd-Mhúsaem na hÉireann (AMÉ).
 Leabhar Dhioma (CnT)
 Leabhar Mholing (CnT)
 Cathach Cholm Cille (AMÉ)
 Leabhar Aifrinn Lothra/Stowe (AMÉ)
 Soiscéal Mholaise (AMÉ)
Táthar ar an eolas go raibh cumhdaigh nó  ceangail leabhar seodmhara  ag saothar eile amhail is Leabhar Cheanannais, Leabhar Ard Mhacha agus Leabhar Dharú.  Óir go ndearnadh iad as miotail lómhara luachmhara, tharraingíodh siad gadaithe orthu.

Foinsí 
 "Antiquities": Wallace, Patrick F., O Floinn, Raghnall eds. Treasures of the National Museum of Ireland: Irish Antiquities, 2002, Gill & Macmillan, Dublin, 
 Crawford, Henry. "A Descriptive List of Irish Shrines and Reliquaries. Part I". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 6th series, volume 13, no. 1, June 1923. 
 Fitzpatrick, Elizabeth. Royal Inauguration in Gaelic Ireland C.1100-1600: A Cultural Landscape Study. Suffolk: Boydell Press, 2004. 
 Hourihane, Colum. Gothic Art in Ireland 1169-1550: Enduring Vitality. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2003. 
 Joynt, M. "The Cathach of St. Columba". The Irish Church Quarterly, Volume 10, no. 39, 1917. 
 Kelly, Eamonn. "The Lough Kinale book-shrine". In: "Age of migrating ideas: early medieval art in northern Britain and Ireland proceedings of the Second International Conference on Insular Art held in the National Museums of Scotland in Edinburgh, 3–6 January 1991". Edinburgh: National Museums of Scotland, 1993. "
 Kelly, Eamonn. The Lough Kinale Shrine: The Implication for the Manuscripts. In: O'Mahony, Felicity. "The Book of Kells: Proceedings of a conference at Trinity College, Dublin, 6–9 September 1992". Dublin: Trinity College & Scolar Press, 1994. 
 Lacey, Brian. Manus O'Donnell's 'Life of Colum Cille'''. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 1998. 
 Lucas, Anthony. "The Social Role of Relics and Reliquaries in Ancient Ireland". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, volume 116, 1986. 
 Meehan, Bernard. The Book of Durrow: A Medieval Masterpiece at Trinity College Dublin, 1996, Town House, Dublin, 
 Mitchell, Perette. "The Inscriptions on Pre-Norman Irish Reliquaries". Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature, volume 96C, no. 1, 1996. 
 Moss, Rachel. Medieval c. 400—c. 1600: Art and Architecture of Ireland. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2014. 
 Mullarkey, Paul. "Shrine of The Misach". In: Moss, Rachel. Medieval c. 400—c. 1600. (Art and Architecture of Ireland series). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2014. 
 O'Buachalla, Brendan. "The F-Future in Modern Irish: A Reassessment". Royal Irish Academy, 1985. 
 Ó Floinn, Raghnall. "The Soiscél Molaisse". Clogher Record, volume 13, no. 2, 1989. 
 —. "Description" of the "Book-shrine" on The Stowe Missal, from the Royal Irish Academy, with good images and catalogue information – select "Royal Irish Academy" from drop-down "collections" menu at bottom left, then select "Stowe Missal" from the next menu.
 O'Neill, Timothy. The Irish Hand: Scribes and Their Manuscripts From the Earliest Times. Cork: Cork University Press, 2014. 
 Overbey, Karen. Sacral Geographies: Saints, Shrines and Territory in Medieval Ireland. Turnhout: Brepols, 2012. 
 Scott, Brendan. "The Making of the Book of Fenagh". History Ireland, volume 25, no. 3, 2017. 
 Stokes, Margaret, Early Christian Art in Ireland, 1887, 2004 photo-reprint, Kessinger Publishing, , , Google Books
 The Stowe Missal: MS. D. II. 3 in the Library of the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, edited by George F. Warner (1906), from the Internet Archive
 Stalley, Roger. "Irish Art in the Romanesque and Gothic Periods". In: Treasures of early Irish art, 1500 B.C. to 1500 A.D: From the collections of the National Museum of Ireland, Royal Irish Academy, Trinity College Dublin. NY: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1977. 
 Stevick, Robert. "St Patrick's Bell Shrine: Form and Layout of the Plates". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, volume 138, 2008. 
 Stokes, Roy. A Bibliographical Companion. Scarecrow Press, 2011. 
 Youngs, Susan (ed). "The Work of Angels", Masterpieces of Celtic Metalwork, 6th–9th centuries AD''. British Museum Press, London, 1989. ISBN 0-7141-0554-6

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