Cathach of St. Columba

Royal Irish Academy
Folio 48r, Cathach of St. Columba
Also known as	The Battler
Type	Psalter
Date	Before AD 561
Place of origin	Ireland
Language(s)	Vulgar Latin
Material	Vellum
Size	27cm x 19cm
Format	Folio
Condition	Poor
Script	Insular

The Cathach of St. Columba, known as the Cathach (meaning "the Battler"),^[1] is a late 6th century Insular psalter. It is the oldest surviving manuscript in Ireland, and the second oldest Latin psalter in the world.^[2]

Its cumdach (a type of ornamented metal reliquary box or carrying case for holy books) dates to the late 11th century, and was refurbished in the 14th and 16th centuries. The shrine belonged to the Chiefs of Clan Ó Domhnaill, the Lords of Tír Chonaill, as a rallying cry and protector in battle.^[3]

The Cathach was taken to the continent in 1691 following the Treaty of Limerick, and did not return to Ireland until 1813. That year the cumdach was reopened, leading to the rediscovery of the manuscript. It was by then in very poor condition, but underwent a major restoration in 1982 when the extant pages were rebound and remounted on vellum leaves.^[1] However the Cathach remains badly damaged, with just 58 vellum leaves surviving from an original 110.^[1]

Today the manuscript (RIA MS 12 R 33) is in the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin and the cumdach is in the archaeology branch of the National Museum of Ireland.^[4]