The writer and podcaster's documentary, Blindboy: The Land of Slaves and Scholars, explores the origins and evolution of early Irish Christianity, hermits, saints and monasteries, to try to find out who were these people who had such a profound influence, not just on Irish culture, but on the whole of medieval Europe.
Along with input from local experts and historians including Manchán Magan, Dr Daniel Curley, Dr Elizabeth Boyle and Dr Niamh Wycherley, Blindboy interrogates our early medieval history in the hour-long documentary.
Guided by a soundtrack composed by Blindboy, this programme asks: what did Irish Christian missionaries, hermits, and monasteries contribute to the Irish writing tradition?
Blindboy said: "I'm a writer who is fascinated with the Irish writing tradition. I believe that the period of early Irish Christianity is a huge facet of this tradition, and I feel queasy about that, because when I think of Irish Christianity, I think of the Catholic Church, and when I think of the Catholic Church, I think about abuse and victimisation. That dichotomy acts as a barrier for me to feel proud about this period of our history.
"I want to find out about the monasteries, about their contribution to literature, about the storytelling. I want to know the saints. Were they even real? Who were the human beings who created illuminated manuscripts, who would go and live on an island off the coast of Kerry in beehive huts? Were they mad?"
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