Replica of medieval manuscript linked to Offaly goes on display
A meticulously handcrafted replica of a 14th-century manuscript, "The Red Book of Ossory", with Offaly links has gone on public display at St Canice's Cathedral & Round Tower, Kilkenny.
The original volume, which has been on public view for a year, will be archived at the Representative Church Body (RCB) Library for a conservation 'rest'.
The 79-page replica manuscript is the centrepiece of an exhibition that explores Medieval Ireland through the lens of Bishop Richard Ledrede, who wrote the book 700 years ago. Ledrede held the See of Ossory from 1317 to 1360. The See of Ossory is located in the south-east of Ireland and encompasses the counties of Kilkenny, Laois and Offaly.
In 1324, Ledrede famously accused noblewoman Alice Kyteler of witchcraft and heresy, which led to the first witch trials in Ireland. Four pages are outlined in the exhibit, including a letter from King Edward III, concerned that the British aristocracy had 'gone native', an early provision of the Magna Carta, and poems and festive songs composed by Ledrede.
Among its pages is the first recorded recipe for Aqua Vitae, Uisce Batha, known today as whiskey. The recipe was medicinal in the 1300s as the plague ravaged Europe.
The Dean of Ossory, Rev Stephen Farrell, said Ledrede was a man of faith and science, trying to look after the people in his care.
He explained: "Richard Ledrede came here to reinvigorate his See, to stabilise the community. He kept everything he thought was important in The Red Book. Just after the Black Death, when illness had ravaged Ireland, he put in there the height of modern science, a three-page shorthand Latin recipe for Aqua Vitae. It would be like someone having a recipe for the COVID vaccine today."
The model has been meticulously reproduced by Manuscript Conservator, Dr John Gillis, and Calligrapher and historian Timothy O'Neill. Creating the replica took five months.
It involved sourcing sheepskin as per the original, quarter-sawn oak for the cover, from a wind-felled tree in Glenstall Abbey. It consists of seven-quires (parchment gatherings). The text block and end bands were sewn around alum-tawds (salt-treated raw hide) supports with linen and were oversewn with decorative blue and red silk threads.
Dean of Ossory, the Very Revd Stephen Farrell, said: "The Red Book is part of the Cathedral's story. We are told that less than two per cent of Irish medieval manuscripts survive.
"The model created by John and Tim allows us to share that heritage openly and safely, ensuring the original can endure for future generations. We hope visitors will come and experience not only the text, but the extraordinary craft that has gone into recreating it."
The Red Book replica is on loan from the RCB Library, and the project was made possible through their support. The Red Book of Ossory replica and exhibition is open from Friday, November 7, at St Canice's Cathedral & Round Tower.
A series of talks, workshops and a school's programme will accompany the exhibit over the next 12 months. The Red Book exhibition is free with entry, open daily from 10 am, for more see: www.stcanicescathedral.ie